


Price of Freedom

by victory_angel



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Valentino (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Charlie Magne, Angel Dust Abused, Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Friendship/Love, Good Friend Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Grief/Mourning, Hurt Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Male Slash, Male-Female Friendship, Other, Pain, Painplay, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suffering, Torture, Valentino Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 96,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26606032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victory_angel/pseuds/victory_angel
Summary: With Angel being outed as involved in the Happy Hotel by Charlie on live TV, it brings about trouble in the form of Valentino-Angel's boss. Can Angel effectively maintain the double life of living in the Hotel, while still keeping his secret life of abuse, torment, and pain a secret? Or will Charlie and the hotel be the salvation he desires?I do love and reply to reviews so please don't feel shy about commenting.
Relationships: Angel Dust & Charlie Magne, Angel Dust & Charlie Magne & Vaggie, Angel Dust & Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Valentino (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 268
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

Don't own Hazbin Hotel, but I do love the story I've seen so far.

Angel grumbled to himself as he stood on the street corner. He hoped a John would come by soon, it had been so much harder the past two weeks to keep Valentino happy.

It was bad enough he couldn't have drugs because of that stupid agreement Vaggie had him sign in order to get that whole "Demon Reformation" bullshit started. Though that was something he can at least enjoy outside the hotel. It was the prostitution that was more difficult. With agreeing to be part of the hotel, the one major problem was Val expecting him to be soliciting the denizens of Pentagram City for their sexual gratification. This meant he was knowingly violating the terms of the contract he signed. 

There had been moments since moving into the hotel where he had wanted to explain that prostitution was also part of his employment. But that would also mean explaining the constant rape, abuse, and torment he suffered almost daily. And that was something he wasn’t ready to do. He didn’t know either girl nor did he trust them enough to do so. 

Charlie and Vaggie meant well…at least Charlie did. He could feel her sincerity and she that she truly did want to help him. Vaggie had some obvious doubts about her girlfriend’s belief in redemption. But she loved the blond enough to at least support her in this project. 

Still, as hair-brained as this whole redemption experiment was, the blond princess believed in it enough to want to see if it was possible. But what would happen if it wasn’t? What would happen if things didn’t work out? Everyone at the hotel could see there was no plan in place to enable redemption aside from ‘ _Just do a few good deeds, act respectfully, and don’t do or say anything that would be offensive and hurt others. Then you’ll be in heaven in no time._ ’

Angel sighed, looking at the red glowing cigarette in his hand he winced as it reminded him of his boss's leering smile. He could do shows at clubs and the shoots at the porn studio no problem. Char and Vaj didn't really watch that kinda stuff. Plus Charlie had made an allowance for the studio because that was still his source of employment. Though she had made some suggested hints that he request a vacation or some time off while they tried to get this redemption experiment underway. 

The porn star, however, would always make some excuse about how things were busy, they had a lot of film shoots on schedule and it would cause a lot to reschedule them or replace his role in the shoot. In truth, it would be easier to ask Valentino to break the neck of one of his employees than it was to ask for time off. The moth didn’t believe in sick days, which had been rather problematic when there had been flu outbreaks in the studio.

This was particularly problematic during the times when Angel could sense a storm in the air. Sensitivity to one's surroundings was one of the inherent abilities of being a spider demon. In most cases, it was good, because it kept him alert and let him know if he was in danger or if there was something to be concerned about. This was also coupled with the skills gained from being from a Mafia family.

The sensitivity only sucked when he sensed a storm in the air. It was bad enough just feeling gross when he could feel the shift in the weather. In many cases, he had to look forward to punishments from Valentino when the storm eddies had dissipated. The pimp didn’t care about how the weather was affecting his performer. All he cared about was how many Souls it would cost him to reschedule everything because his star performer was being affected by the weather.

He didn’t know what would happen if Charlie or Vaggie caught him out here. But it would more than likely cost him his living situation. His mind brought up Charlie's face, the look of disappointment she felt in how the interview went. And on top of that, he also had messed things up for her in helping Cherri in that turf war. So that look was just as directed as him as anything else. But why did it matter to him what she thought? He didn't know her, he didn't owe her anything. He didn't even know if he *could* trust her. Plus her skanky girlfriend was a cunt as far as he was concerned.

And yet…Charlie had been the only person who had seen him as well a person. She was only being in Hell aside from Cherri who treated him like he meant something. One of the only people who didn’t see him or expected him to just be an hour’s worth of entertainment. Or an ‘Irritating means to an end’ as Alastor would at times jibe at him. 

A shudder passed through Angel’s scrawny frame at the thought of Radio Demon. The way he smiled only reminded him of Valentino. Just being near the deer demon was enough to cause a chill to run down his spine.

Husk and Niffy were okay most of the time. Angel didn’t know what to make of the minuscule cyclops demon. Niffty could be neurotic much of the time in how she would hurriedly jabber very little connection between one subject to the next. But mostly she kept to herself as she scurried around the hotel cleaning things. She had originally been confused about Angel actually being a man. Due to his propensity to dress in feminine clothing, she had honestly believed he was female. Mostly when she did talk to him at all it was to ask for his assistance such as giving her a boost to areas that she couldn’t reach very easily without help. He would oblige as Niffty would politely ask this of him, and he figured it might earn him some redemption points in Charlie’s eyes to help since his physical height did cause him to tower over the majority of the residents of the hotel. The only thing he wasn’t sure of was when he would return her to the ground she would hug him around his legs with a hurried “Thank you so much.” Or occasionally “Arigatou gozaimashita'' before racing off to clean something else.

Husk was easier to comprehend. He could really deliver on any cocktail or alcoholic drink you could name. He was also fun to tease because of how flustered he would get whenever Angel would flirt with him. There was never anything serious intended. After all, while Alastor’s cat demon had not been in Hell for the same number of years Angel had…he had lived considerably more years. Like Niffty, the cat demon also kept to himself and was more content to drink his booze rather than talk though he did grudgingly look after Fat Nuggets when Angel was at the studio. 

The only thing Angel or anyone else for that matter couldn't figure out is why he…out of all the demons in Hell. Out of all people they had tried and failed to convince to at least try to participate in this project. Why was he the one who Charlie felt was capable of redemption? Alastor had even asked this of her, though the blond princess couldn’t really explain why she felt the porn star was a good choice. Even when Vaggie pointed out she had been particularly insistent in trying to convince him to participate. Alastor would just remark that it was possibly just reckless decisions based on desperation. Charlie however insisted, she did have a reason for believing Angel was the person they wanted. She just didn’t know how to explain it.

Angel did hate to admit it, but he found himself having to agree with Alastor about her choosing him out of desperation. If Charlie knew anything about him at all, understood who he was associated with she would have done the smart thing and just drove on by. It would have saved her a lot of grief. Still, why did she bother him so much?

Maybe it was because unlike everyone else...Charlie had unconditionally believed he could be redeemed. 

" _There is a lot more to you, than you think there is Angel_ !" Charlie had said sincerely as she put a gentle hand on the clump of fur on his chest. The fur he had fluffed out to make it seem like he had a pair of tits. " _We want to help you._ " Her eyes gazed joyfully into his as she grinned a hopeful smile up at him. A smile he remembered seeing on his twin-sisters face decades ago.

" _There is more to you, than you think there is Anthony,_ " Molly had said as she pulled him into a loving embrace. " _And you'll always be my lovable brother._ " Her long blond curly hair descending down her back as she rested her head against his chest. 

Not a day had gone by over the past seventy-three years that he hadn’t thought of his younger sister. But she had been coming to his mind more frequently in the past couple of weeks since meeting Charlie. 

His second pair of arms hugged around himself. If only she could see him now...what he had become. She wouldn't recognize him...his father and older brother were probably laughing at him from wherever they were in the city. Probably saying that the life of a whore was fitting for a worthless boy like him. Angrily he wiped away a tear that came unbidden to his eyes.

" _I like seeing you in tears, Angel Cakes_ ," Valentino had said long ago. His red-toothed smile leering over him. " _It makes you look so breakable._ " His leering smile faded as Angel had felt his hair being pulled roughly. " _Tears also make you look like the little bitch that you are. You don't cry when you are fucked! They don't pay for tears! You smile and enjoy it like a good little whore. Got it!_ "

"Damn, what have I gotten myself into," Angel sighed in self-disgust. Charlie had pitched an interview about the hotel just a couple of days ago. And he also had participated in that turf war with Cherri which also had appeared on '666 News'. It was a wonder he hadn't heard anything from Val about it yet, given that his buddy Vox...ran the TV station…Oh shit, the interview. A buzz was coming from his phone...there was only one person who had that number.

"Sono così fottuto!" (I am so fucked!) Angel muttered in Italian as he anxiously pulled out his Hellphone.

VAL: "Angel Baby…"

~Oh no!~ Angel Dust thought as he read those words. ~Oh no, nononono!"

VAL: We need to have a...chat. 

The lanky spider winced as a familiar red limo pulled up and the door opened.

"Oh...h..hi Val," Angel Dust said nervously.

“Angel…" The Moth said, crooning his name.

~Not good,~ Angel thought to himself as he reluctantly crawled into the limo and sat down on the cushioned seating. The door and all chance of escape closed behind him as the limo drove away. ~Well at least I don't need to worry about Charlie and Vaggie catching me...Though I'm as good as double-dead anyway.~

"Angel sweetie," The Moth Demon said, his voice sounded gentle, but there was a palpable rage behind it. "What is this I hear about you being involved in a certain hotel? A certain hotel run by Lucifer’s daughter."

"It's nothing," Angel Dust said confidently. "Two dumb broads just picked me up a couple of weeks ago, told me they were using some old hotel as a place to rehab demons and make them good enough to go to Heaven. And they thought I was a good pick to be their first client. The whole concept is total BS, I only agreed to participate because they were offering free digs. The requirement is that I couldn't be drinking, doing drugs, or offering my services out on the street. At least they didn't want to catch sight of me doing it. I've been pulling the wool over their eyes for the past two weeks...maken' think I'm really cleaning up my act."

"I also noticed that you also were out playing with your friend," Valentino said, his smile continuing to glow red.

"Who Cherri," Angel asked, trying to play up the innocent act. Though he knew quite well his hand was caught in the proverbial cookie jar. "I was helping her take out that creepy snake demon...Sloppy…Slippery Penis I think was what he called himself…I don't know I didn't really care"

"Angel Cakes," Valentino asked. "Where were you supposed to be?"

"Well it's not like there was much for me to do, Boss" Angel defended "We just had the extermination, things are going to be slow for at least a month. I'm lucky I got ya any money at all given how many demons were slaughtered."

"WHERE...were you supposed to be?" Valentino growled the question as his hand grabbed hold of Angel Dust's chin. Not hard enough to leave any bruises, but hard enough for the effeminate spider to determine he didn't want to test how thin Valentino's patience could go.

"Out…Out getting money for you." Angel obediently grumbled.

“Were you doing that?" The Moth asked a threatening tone lacing his words as though daring the younger demon to test him.

"No sir," Angel bitterly answered. Valentino always had a way of making him feel like shit.

"So this hotel," Valentino asked conversationally. "Do you believe they are capable of redeeming you?"

"No boss. " Angel responded with a sigh, though his heart cracked as he said those words. Perhaps part of him had wondered...had hoped that there was something that was worth the chance. As confused as he was that Charlie had picked him to be her first attempt at this, a spark of hope appeared to form in his heart. Someone who actually believed he could be so much more than just a cheap lay. Still, the whole thing felt far fetched...souls were sent to Hell for a reason. And it's not like he minded or cared about being a damned soul anyway, it was so much more fun to be bad and revel in chaos with his friend Cherri. It was the nature of things in Hell.

"Are you redeemable?" Valentino inquired.

"No sir," Angel said, closing his eyes sadly. He grit his teeth as he felt tears threaten to fill his eyes.

"Good boy," Valentino chillingly said. "I'll overlook your involvement in this hotel project...for now, darling. I will expect you to follow the schedule I give you, but…" The Moth grabbed Angel by the throat and threateningly squeezed. "If I see any sign that your loyalties have changed, any sign that you have turned on me. I will make you wish you had just been an obedient little fuck and told these bitches they were wasting their time with you. You understand?"

"Whatever you say, Mr. Valentino sir." Angel obediently said as the limo pulled to a stop. He was shaky as he got out, he had certainly been raped or beaten for less than this. As the limo pulled away he was certain that Valentino would be making quite sure his involvement was as minimal as he claimed.

From the look of things, it appeared he was good twenty-blocks from the hotel. Heaving a deep sigh he started to walk home, lighting a cigarette he breathed in trying to let the tobacco settle his frayed nerves. He can't cave under the pressure now, he had to maintain control of his end of the situation. Valentino was only happy if he showed up for film shoots and performances and fucked who was told or brought him money as required. Charlie and "Vagie" were happy with him so long as he "visibly" conformed to their rules.

Sooner or later the two girls would notice he wasn't improving as expected. That harpy Vaggie certainly had it in for him since day one. The only reason they had even talked to him at all was because all of the other demons they had approached hadn't been interested in what the two bitchs were selling. And it was clear throughout the whole talk she already had made up her mind about him, all she needed was an excuse to kick him out of the hotel. If it had been up to her the day they were propositioning him she probably would have stopped the car and tossed him out herself.

"Hey, Angie," A familiar voice said up ahead as Cherri Bomb raced up to him.

"How's it going, baby girl," He asked, giving a customary smirk at his sister in chaos.

"Same old, same old." The bomber girl stated. "I was headed to the club, you wanna tag."

"Thanks," Angel said. "But no, I have a lot on my mind right now."

"Is something going on," Cherri said. Her voice took on a concerned tone. "He didn't...he didn't hurt you did he?"

"No...no...of course not," Angel stated. "Val just learned I was involved in that hotel I told you about the other day, and he was just assessing if it affected anything. I told him it didn't so there's nothing to worry about."

"If you want me to wreck his shit, just say the word and I'm there," Cherri said.

"Hey whoa," Angel objected. "I have the whole thing handled, Sugar tits."

"You say that…" Cherri said skeptically. "But you don't, not really."

"I have it…handled!" Angel's voice took on a defensive tone, waving one hand in a slicing motion to indicate he didn't want to have this argument with her.

"Okay...okay…" Cherri said, concluding that her friend was going to be stubborn as always. "Just looking out for my favorite guy, your boss is a nasty piece of shit who needs to have what's coming to him.

"I've been in this gig longer than you've been in Hell, Sweetheart," Angel commented as if it didn't matter. "Trust me, I can handle myself."

"Best bitches forever," Cherri asked as she held out her hand as she gave a friendly smile.

"Best bitches forever," Angel responded as he clasped hers before he continued down the street. "See you around, Sista."

Cherri watched him walk away until he disappeared into the demon crowds of Hell. Her single eye was full of concern.

"You need help, Angie," Cherri said sadly to herself. "I know you've been jerked around by others and you don't know who to trust. But you have to have some people in your corner, you need to quit being so proud...learn to let people in. Otherwise, he will just use you until he gets bored of you...or you lose yourself entirely."

Angrily glaring up at a billboard about twenty feet above her. The image of Valentino's face smiled that shark-toothed smile. One single gold tooth is the only difference in the uniformly red-grin. Glowing red eyes squinting out from behind those stupid and ugly red heart-shaped shades. His black fingers formed a peace sign. Angrily gritting her teeth, Cherri pulled a bomb out of the bodice of her top.

"SUCK IT... OLD MAN!" She screamed as she pitched the explosive up at the picture of Angel Dust's boss, where it blew the moth demons face away.

* * *

The rest of the walk the Hotel was uneventful. By the time he could see the familiar brown structure he believed he had his emotional faculties back in order. He entered the building with his usual confident swagger and self-satisfied smirk running his hands through his fluff of hair.

"Hello All," He said in greeting as he entered.

"Hi Angel," Charlie said cheerfully in greeting. "How are things with you?" Angel could swear he would never become used to the blond princess's plucky demeanor. While her positive attitude did at times make him have moments of overall happiness. He did find it rather grating, after all, they were in Hell, quite literally. Hell wasn't meant to be a happy place.

"I'm fantastic as always," Angel flashing her a toothy smile, before walking up to the front desk. "I ran into my friend Cherri Bomb while I was out."

"You better not have been in a brawl again," Vaggie glowered at him, her single golden yellow eye seemed to glow. "I will remind you that you did sign a contract saying you agreed to the set terms we offered. This whole thing can't work if our only test subject is out destroying the town with some pyrotechnics junky."

"I will have you know I have been on my best behavior all day." Angel snidely responded, before turning to Husk who glowered at him from behind the desk.

"Let me guess," The winged-cat demon grumbled. "You want your piggy, back."

“Yes," Angel said. "It's time for my "sweet boy" to have his cuddle time." Hucker just rolled his eyes and gave a disgusted grunt before bending under the bar a few seconds. When he stood up he passed the small pig into Angel's waiting arms.

"Here you go," Husk grumbled, "For Hell's sake, get someone else to be your fucken petsitter."

"Hello Nuggz," The lanky spider cooed as he ignored the demon cat's complaints. "Have you been a good boy for Husker?"

"If you call the mess made back here good," Husker growled. "Niffy, could you get your butt over here and clean this up. It's bad enough that I smell like pig shit, I don't need to be sitting in it too!"

"Aww," Charlie cooed as she lightly scratched the pig behind the ears before she turned his attention to him. "I hope I can meet Cherri sometime soon."

"Planning on given her the pitch," Angel asked somewhat flippantly. "Maybe get two people ?"

"No…" Charlie admitted. "If she wants to join our experiment that's up to her. I want to meet her because she's your friend; she's someone who matters to you."

"I'll consider it," He said, giving a smirk before he climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked away down the hall. The smirk faded as he traveled towards his room. Introducing Cherri to Charlie and Vaggie wouldn't be too bad. It would give him someone he knew for certain he could trust among his somewhat increasing group of friends. He still wasn't certain he could trust Charlie and Vaggie enough to really consider them as friends yet. They wanted to be his friends, at least Charlie did. She went out of her way to be friendly to him, to make him feel welcome and comfortable. Vaggie was more grudgingly tolerant, she only accepted him being around because they needed him to be their test subject. And Charlie wanted him there so there was that. Their first attempt at redemption...their first failure. Cherri's involvement could add some more excitement to this place. But bringing Cherri into the mix also meant he was bringing his past into it as well. The stuff that wasn’t ready to reveal just yet, the stuff that proved he was beyond help.

Cherri was aware that Valentino was abusive and heavy-handed with him. She had seen him when he was more than a little roughed up following a shoot and had held him in his darker moments. But she didn't know the full extent of what Valentino did to him, and he didn't want her to know. If she knew, he wouldn't be able to stop her from going after Valentino and his associates.

Everything he knew about the crime was through his family, and Valentino had taught him more than his fair share about the sleazy underbelly of the streets and industry. But everything he knew about handling weapons, explosives, and his destructive nature he had learned through Cherri. Vaggie had already gotten to an argument with him about his "Bad Influence Friend' as she called it. Like she wasn't one to talk, in Hell, everyone had to be a bad influence in some way or another. It was how people survived, besides over two weeks pretending to be sweet and nice was making him stir crazy. 

Still, while Cherri could hold her own in a turf war. Her skills in overall mayhem, chaos, and anarchy, weren't enough against an Overlord, especially a dangerous one like Valentino. He would have taken out Val years ago if it had been that simple.

Blowing up billboards, signs, and other stuff either bearing Valentino's image or association with him was an annoyance. One that occasionally caused Angel to find all six of his arms bound behind his back while he was repeatedly dunked face-first into ice water as Valentino interrogated him about whether he had told Cherri to do this. A method of interrogation he had seen his own father using in the past. 

Angel would steadfastly maintain Cherri was acting on her own, but would never let it slip that she was only annoying Valentino in this manner because of him. She knew Valentino was controlling and abusive, and she hated that he treated Angel like he was his personal plaything that he could do as he wished. She would repeatedly tell him to let her help him, let her get him out of there. He would always tell her, no. Because he knew first hand how dangerous Valentino was on his own, and he was even worse when Vox and/or Velvet were involved.

Entering his room, he paused by his vanity mirror looking at the gold tooth set in his mouth. A permanent mark to indicate he was Valentino's *Personal* property.

" _You should feel honored, Angel sugar,_ " Valentino had said to him on the day he had gotten that golden tooth set in. " _I don't just choose any slut to be in my *personal* collection. I choose the ones that are able to keep me interested, the ones that give me a real sense of pleasure; entertainment. And plus, you get the perks of being my pet, you please me and be a good boy, then I'll give you treats._ " Valentino's smile faded into a frown. " _But if you are a naughty boy and bite the hand that feeds you...then you will suffer the consequences._ "

He could feel his Hellphone buzz, he was not surprised to hear from Valentino. The Moth was checking to see if he was keeping to his word that nothing was affected.

VAL: Schedule tomorrow, photoshoot at 10 AM, filming shift at 12, filming shift at 2, be on stand-by for club performance at 7 to 10.

Angel: Whatever you say Mr. Valentino,sir.

VAL: Love you sugar, XO. Expecting you at the studio 9:30 *Sharp.

Angel shuddered at the parting words, as a chill ran down his spine. Putting his phone on the charger he unbuttoned his jacket and tie, slipping out of his mini skirt, boots, stockings, and underwear he put the used items in a small pile to be dealt with later. He examined his gaunt effeminate frame. The dim lighting of the room made it difficult to see through the fine layer of soft fur that covered his body, but there was faded scarring around his shoulders, arms, chest, belly, hips, legs, and back. Some of the smaller scars were from where lit cigarettes and cigars had been pressed against his flesh as they burnt through his fur until they seared his skin. Other scars were from the various beatings he had over the years. Some from leather belts, or horse crops when he had displeased Valentino. Other scars from suede ribbon whips, some from BDSM shoots. Others from when his Johns were in a kinky mood or he was handed over to Velvet for "playtime". Picking up some fem tight boxer-brief shorts and a loose-fitting t-shirt he walked into the ensuite bath. The bathrooms in the hotel were shower only, which was more than could be said then some of the places he had lived in since he first arrived in Hell following his drug overdose in 1947. As much as he would have preferred a nice soak in a bubble bath, he would take what comforts he could get.

Fiddling with the taps he found a temperature that was hot enough to fog up the mirror over the sink, but not so hot it was scalding. Stepping past the curtain he allowed the spray to wash over him and ease the tension in his muscles. Pressing his backside against the wall he slid down to his knees and let his head lull between his shoulder blades. He hugged both sets of arms around himself as finally allowed himself to give in to the feelings of fear, grief, and helplessness he never liked to openly show around others. Silent tears fell down his cheeks to be washed by the warm spray.

"Mama," He softly whispered. "Madre del cielo, veglia su di me." (Mother in heaven, watch over me.)

Standing up once again he shut off the water. Stepping out from the small shower inset into the wall, he toweled himself off. Leaving the used towels on the floor he got dressed into his nightclothes. Settling into bed he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

He breathed as he mentally timed each movement. If he released too soon, it would ruin the shoot, but if he held on too long it would cause him physical discomfort. He had to let his partner lead him in each thrust, each turn, each action.

The director gave the signal that they were ready for the climax. The faceless demon above him pumped himself into him a couple more times before he pulled him forwards so he was sitting on his partner's lap. His long legs sprawled across the other demons thick thighs. He felt large film hands grabbing hold of his ass cheeks bringing him up a few inches before none-to-gently slamming him back down on the flesh piston within his rectum.

He mentally noted how uncomfortable it felt to be doing things this way. It felt strange to feel mentally thrown off by how big his co-actors cock actually was. He had done this with so many men of varying sizes, and the occasional woman over the numerous decades since this studio had been built, as well as the brothels and peep shows before that. He didn't remember the faces of each of his partners, he never liked any of them anyway so it didn't matter if one of them was a familiar face or not. Some were gentle and let him take the lead, but most were rough and asserted dominance in every situation.

He had become adept at letting his consciousness drift to the back of his mind, surrender himself to the action while contemplating other things. Such wondering how much Val would pay him for this shoot, would he actually be able to make something decent tonight or would he be stuck with overly salted and spicey ramen for the fifth time that week. Maybe Alastor made Jambalaya again and there would be leftovers in the fridge. That French-Creole crap wasn't as good as classic Italian. It was... okay, but it lacked the subtle and nuanced flavors of dishes such as Chicken Piccata, or Veal Marsala, heck even simple Pasta Pomodoro was better than that goop. But hey, food was food.

He wrapped legs around his partner's waist as he felt himself prepare for the release, finally his partner lifted him up one last time before bringing him down hard and came inside him giving a loud roar of lust and need. He wanted to scream out at the pain and humiliation felt but forced it to become a cry of ecstasy as he arched his back finally allowing his own loins to release their seed.

His partner removed himself leaving him to recover and get to his feet before he was pressed against a nearby wall as his partner ground up against him. Promising their sexual romp was far from over. Grabbing his partner's face and inviting the long slippery tongue into his mouth.

"Okay, that's a wrap," The director announced. "Good job everyone!" The larger demon's girth moved away from him allowing the chance to breathe.

He hated the moment when he felt like being squeezed. Valentino grudgingly tolerated his insistence on keeping his boots on during shoots and his refusal to do any foot-related projects. There was no way he was going to show off the disgusting, grody, appendages to anyone. However, that was the only allowance, the moth wouldn't hear refusal for anything else.

" _It doesn't matter if you enjoy it or not,_ " Val had snarled after he had complained about a shoot where he felt like he was being crushed. " _You can't get special treatment for every single thing you don't like. You do what the people want and learn to love it, that's the nature of this business, got it! If you whine to me about any of this bullshit again, I'll make sure that your next punishment will involve you getting squeezed._ "

A random stagehand tossed him his robe which he gratefully pulled on as he made his way off the set and to the dressing room for a shower. This was his final shooting of the day, and he longed for a shower.

"Good job today," Dia said from where she stood beside her life partner and co-worker Summer. Angel just lifted a hand palm up to let them know he acknowledged the compliment but said nothing in response. He had no feelings towards them in general, they were okay he guessed. Though he would like them better if they weren't so subservient to Valentino.

" _He hurts you because you resist him,_ " Summer had said following an incident where Valentino had backhanded him across the face. It wasn't for any particular reason aside from Val just being pissed about whatever and deciding to take it out on him. " _Just do what he wants, it won't hurt quite as much._ "

Easy for her to say, the two of them were broken. It just felt so simple to fall into the mindset of letting people have what they want out of you, he had been in that very mindset himself in the past. Just let 'em have what they want, do what they tell you, if you obey it'll all be over and you won't get hurt...quite as much. If he wasn't already dead, he would have taken his life decades ago just to escape it all. Giving in to his owners, his Johns, the randos he had to screw for every film and photoshoot, it was all so tempting. Unfortunately, it didn't make the pain go away, it only made it worse. If you gave in they all hurt you because they knew they could, because they knew you would take it, because they believed you felt you deserved it. If you resisted, yeah you'd be hurt but you'd be controlling how and why the pain was delivered.

Stepping into the dressing room he gathered up his clothing and stepped into the shower. He at first locked the door so he could have some privacy, but paused and unlocked it again. Val had punished him simply for locking the door to the shower one time, he excused it as demanding access to him whenever he needed. Angel knew the truth however, it was so Val could be allowed to take advantage of him while he was in a vulnerable position. It was how he operated and maintained control over his employees, anything he could take or twist as an act of resistance or aggression was something he could use as an excuse for discipline.

That was the worst part of being dead...you couldn't die to escape your tormentors. They were always there to hurt you; to grind you into the dirt, and there was no way to run from it. You were always a slave to the pain. Even if you did manage to gain your freedom there would just be another asshole to make you feel like shit, and one after them, and after them, and so on. Sooner or later you just stopped running.

Flipping on the shower he stepped into the warm spray to wash away the sweat and semen that coated his body. He didn't give way to tears, as much as he wanted to cry he didn't want Valentino entered the room and to have any sort of satisfaction of seeing him break. He would allow the tears to flow back at the hotel when he knew things could be private.

While he outwardly enjoyed the recognition and fan-adoration he received. It was all a persona he showed the world, inside he hated being a porn star. He despised being offered out for 10K a night and only earning about $50 of it while the rest lined Valentino's pockets. He hated going out on stage to seductively shake his ass before an adoring crowd with a come hither smile on his face. While he really just wanted to lay waste to all of them with a Thompson submachine gun. He was sick and tired of it all... but he couldn't leave.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, he had tried to escape...he had tried...his owners, his boyfriends, his lovers, his rapists. Some of them coaxed him or convinced him to return, telling him bull shit stories about how they have changed and they'd be better to him. Most however hunted him down and hurt him for escaping. The last time he had tried to escape Valentino had resulted in his gold-tooth put in, an eternal reminder that he was Valentino's personal plaything to use and exploit as he so desired.

Still, if he wasn't Angel Dust-the Porn Star", what was he otherwise? He didn't have any skills to be anything of worth aside from being a mafioso and that meant crawling back to his Papa. Something that he wasn't interested in doing. He had gotten into the sex trade because it was the furthest thing from his family business that he could find. Because the people he trusted made him believe it would make him into something. Because he dared to believe he found someone who he could love. Someone who could make Hell feel like less of a Hell.

He learned the hard way it wasn't wise to openly trust others in that world. Because he would only have his heart broken and stomped on time after time after time. From lovers cheating on him to overall just being abusive and controlling. People using him as something to bartered off or be sold. Forced to use his own body to pay off a boyfriend's bar tab, or offered as part of the pot when a lover gambled. When someone won, it just became more of the same abuse until they grew tired of him. If the house won he was immediately put into the casino's entertainment, living on his meager earnings until he squirreled enough away to buy his freedom, or someone else bought him. Just another asshole that only wanted to jerk him around like always, it wasn't any different than when he was alive.

His older brother and father he knew existed in Hell. He had heard stories that only could have been them, and he had caught sight of them with his own eyes. He even met his father's angry disapproving gaze one time when he had been trying to earn his freedom from a casino. There were no words exchanged between them, only the silent recognition of who each of them were and that lines had been drawn in the sand. Other than that one encounter, Angel hadn’t gone out of his way to see either of them. The further he stayed away from his family the better, he wasn’t part of the life and was never going to be..

“ _You’ve succeeded in tearin’ this family apart, are you fucken’ happy now?”_ He could still hear his older brother's final words as his world faded from existence. If he could have returned to life briefly he would have slugged his brother in face for that. Couldn’t he see that Pops had already torn the family apart the moment he started raising his fists against one of his own children. They were already torn apart the day their mother had died. If he could have stopped the overdose from happening...he would have. 

As for his mother...he didn't know where she was, but he liked to believe she wasn't in a horrible place such as this. Even if she was in Hell, he doubted he would have recognized her. She had passed away when he and Molly had been six years old; just another casualty of the Spanish Flu.

His sister he knew without a shadow of doubt had to have been reborn in Heaven, there was no way it could be otherwise. She didn't have the soul of a sinner as he did, he just knew in his very being she was at peace somewhere where she was happy.

" _There are people out there for you, Anthony._ " Molly had said once. " _You have to let people see you for who you truly are and let them love you. Don't let Papa and our family reputation stop you. Find friends, create a new family; once you have that...you run. You break ties with papa and brother and leave._ "

A lot of good that did. He had found friends he felt he could trust. As soon as they learned he was gay they turned on him seeing him as something freakish and unnatural. He had turned to drugs and booze to escape the pain and torment of his father, and those who saw him as a monster because of who he wanted to love, his namesake becoming both his obsession and his death.

He was in hell because he had run away from his family, from his life. But...did he need to be? When Charlie approached him about her desire to redeem souls, he didn't know what to think. In his experience when people offered you something good, there were usually strings attached or they intended to hurt you later. But Charlie had been sincere and enthusiastic about her idea, and really believed there was something good in him. He wasn't ready to openly trust her, the worst kind of people who hurt you are the ones that make you believe they actually do care about you only to kick you to the curb when you no longer suit their needs. But part of him really did want to believe Charlie's idea really was for real and that there actually was something worth redeeming.

Shutting off the shower he toweled off and got dressed, reaching into his pocket he looked at his HellPhone saw he still had a couple of hours before he was needed at the club. He could grab some shut-eye in the green room before he was expected to perform again.

* * *

The green room was dark as he entered it, but the moment Angel flicked on the light his blood immediately ran cold. Sitting at the table was Valentino, his sharp red teeth twisted into a leering grin.

"Hello...Angel Cakes," the moth demon said as he spat out a string of red smoke in the porn stars' direction. Angel winced as he felt the tendril of red smoke coil up seductively up his neck carrying with it the heady scent of Val's cigarettes.

"Val..." Angel said. "You need me for something?"

"Yes," Val responded as he stood up and approached, "I need you for a...private show."

"Okay," Angel responded, not liking the way Val said "private show". "I'm scheduled for a club performance at seven tonight."

"No, you are on standby." Valentino corrected as one of his arms pulled Angel further into the room before pulling the door shut and locking it. "Dia and Summer will be performing tonight, I need you to do a private show for...me!” Alarm bells went off in the porn stars head

"What is this about," Angel demanded as he was pushed back against the heavy table in the middle of the room. His spine felt like it would snap as he was pinned against the wooden surface. His two main arms were held over his head by one of Valentino’s while his lower arms were held down by the moths lower arms. Valentino's remaining free arm unbuttoned the front of Angel's jacket allowing the garment to fall open. Angel felt his heart leap into his throat. Val was going to rape him right here...for what? He had done everything that had been scheduled today, he was keeping true to his word that the Hotel was just for the free housing. "I've done everything on the schedule you've wanted me to do."

"Angel...Angel...Angel," Val chidingly said, his leering smile twisting in to a sneer. "How naive you are, did you think I wouldn't notice that you seemed to gain some friends in rather high places?"

"If ya’ meaning Lucifer’s daughter," Angel stated. It was known that Charlie was the Princess of Hell, but that was something that was easy to forget as her status didn't seem to mean much to her subjects. "I wouldn't call her a friend...she's more of a...you know a housemate...a really annoying one."

"And what about the Radio Demon?" Valentino probed.

"He's only helping the hotel for his own reasons," Angel said. "Mostly to be entertained by watching everything fail... The guys' too creepy to even consider a friend anyway. I honestly never even heard of him before a couple of days ago."

"I see," Val inquired. "How do I know...you don't intend on using this 'hotel project' as a means of escaping me again?"

"THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE WHOLE REDEMPTION IDEA CAN WORK," Angel raised his voice. It was his fear and frustration talking, but part of him hoped someone would hear what was going on and come to investigate. While Valentino was the head of the studio few demons there actually knew what Valentino liked to do to his star performers behind the scenes. "The whole thing is just a scheme cooked up as an alternative to the exorcists coming every year to deal with the overpopulation. If things was that simple, don't you think someone would have come up with this before now?"

"Perhaps…" Valentino said as he leaned forward pressing his growing erection against Angel's crotch. His long blackish-blue tongue sliding up Angel's neck, the Spider shuddered in response. "Convince...me, that you are not going to betray me."

~This is really happening…~ Angel mentally said as he felt his body respond to the stimulation that Valentino was giving him. He let out an involuntary gasp as he felt his chin getting roughly clutched by a black hand.

"Do I need to make this rough for you?" Valentino asked toyingly.

"No...daddy," Angel responded, feeling like the biggest loser in all of existence.

"Are you going to behave yourself?" Valentino inquired just as toyingly.

"Yes...yes daddy," Angel answered as he was allowed to sit up from where he was pinned against the tabletop. Val peeled away Angel's white and pink jacket and tossed it aside before he took Angel's face in both of his hands and slipped his tongue into Angel's mouth, while Val's lower arms ran up and down the spider's thighs.

~I can do it,~ Angel thought to himself. ~I can bite down right now and give him a dose of my venom. It wouldn't be lethal...but it might do the trick, it would make him weak enough to let me get away.~ He had a venomous bite that did come in handy now and again when he was defending himself. The venom was only strong enough to make someone seriously ill, but in many cases that was enough.

~But then what...~ Angel thought as he began to doubt the action. ~Where can I go afterward, he knows about the Hotel so he'd try to find me there, and he knows about my girl buddy so he'd check to see if I'm hiding out with her. If I'm caught again he'll do worse than just rape me, I know that from experience. And if he doesn't catch me...he could hurt Nuggz maybe everyone else at the hotel. He could still do that in either case...damn it. If I don't do something quick it'll just be more of the bullshit he's done to me over the years, but I can't ~

"Thinking about something…" Valentino purred threateningly.

"What no," Angel responded. He didn't need to make things worse for himself by letting on he was plotting a way to fight back. This wasn't like the shoots, he couldn't let his mind drift. Val liked his fucks to be present, if he suspected they were trying to zone out he would stop and then get rough when they thought the whole thing was over and it was safe to return to their present mind. "I was wondering how you wanted me to perform for you tonight?"

"Good boy," Valentino smiled evilly at the nearly naked demon before him. "Get on your knees and suck my dick." Angel felt this stomach turn at that request, but he was in no position to refuse. As much as he did wish to slam one of the nearby chairs to Val's nut sack.

Dropping down to the floor and getting to his knees. He opened Valentino's jacket enough to grab hold of the zipper of Valentino's trousers with his teeth and pulling it down over the thick bulge allowing the moth's member to spring free. Opening his mouth he ran his tongue along the tip of the flesh pole before, teasingly tracing it up and down Val's penis. A hand in his hair signaled that the taller demon was ready for him to take him fully into his mouth. Angel teased the tip of Val's cock, lightly probing the slit with his tongue before he engulfed the scrotum pole as far as he could take it. Hugging Valentino's hips as he bobbed his head; pumping the blue dong in and out of his mouth.

"Oh yeah," Valentino groaned in pleasure. "That feels nice Sugar. You like how I taste?"

"I love how ya taste, Mr. Valentino sir," Angel responded though inwardly he felt like screaming.

"Tell me how much," Val leered, drool slipped between his teeth and down his chin. "You like my dick enough to suck it forever?"

"I love the taste of your dick," Angel responded. "Please let me suck it for eternity, daddy!" Valentino grabbed hold of Angel's face, pulling him fiercely forward, pistoning his john in and out of the spider's mouth. Angel nearly gagged when he felt Val's manhood hitting the back of his throat as he came. He forced himself to swallow the fountain of cum that erupted in his mouth. A trickle of white semen rolled out of the corner of Angel Dust's mouth as Valentino removed himself.

"Ooo," Valentino said in ecstasy."You really know how to pleasure me, Angel pie, but this show isn’t over yet. I still want more from you.” Pulling the spider to his feet Angel leaned forward bracing his hands against the top of the heavy wooden table one of Valentino’s hands fondled the fluff on Angel’s chest. While another of the moths hands slipped beneath the spider's skirt fondling the hardening organ.

Angel moned reluctantly giving into sensations his body was giving him. He wanted to fight, but he couldn’t. If he did it could cost him...returning to the hotel with unexplained bruises would catch unwanted attention. Being stuck at the studio all night would cause Charlie to worry, or worse...he could be stuck here for days...weeks. Then what, as far as everyone at the Hotel would know he could have been erased.

“Shouldn’t…” Angel asked cautiously. “Shouldn’t we take this up to...ya know...the penthouse? In case anyone wants to take a break in here?”

“It’s no problem Angel Cakes,” Valentino said he pulled the zipper on Angel’s skirt letting the garment fall to the floor. “I have already informed the staff I needed this break room for a meeting and didn’t want to be disterbed. All the staff except you of course since you are my meeting.”Angel blinked back tears knowing what was to happen...he had resigned himself to the probability of this. He could feel Valentino’s unsheethed cock had grown hard once more as it was traced up and down where the fabric of his undershorts covered the cleft of his ass. Val was already starting to pull down the thin siik garment when there was a knock on the door. Val became annoyed and attempted to ignore the interruption so he could continue to ravish his prize,but the knock pursisted.

“Damn it,” Val grumbled as his arousal faded. Tucking himself back into his trousers and zipping his fly he stepped out of the room to argue with whoever was on the otherside of the door. Angel hurriedly hid himself under the table. Grabbing and putting his skirt back on as a cover in case the unknown heroic messenger happened to catch sight of what he was interrupting. After some muffled yells from Valentino and some unintelgiable pleas from the unfortunate interuptor the moth finally returned. “It seems there is an urgent matter that requires my attention. Your little session would have to wait.”

“Yes, Mr. Valentino,” Angel said, though he was secretly doing a mental happy dance.

“Take tomorrow off,” Val added.”Heck take the next couple of days off. Get yourself dressed, cleaned up, and head back home to this Happy Hotel of yours. You're done for the day. Have a nice night...and Angel...if you do try to escape…" The unspoken threat hung in the air as the mothy pimp left the room.

Angel remained where he was still crouched under the table. He wasn't going to cry, not here. Shakily he crawled out of his hiding place and got to his feet, locating his jacket and put it on his fingers fumbling as he redid the brass buttons. Hurriedly he left the room and made his way out of the studio. He needed to get away before Val had the opportunity to change his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do remember hearing that on Husker's Instagram feed, Angel had given tickets to something, not long before the "Addict" Music Video was released. Though no one from the hotel was shown in the crowd. 
> 
> Given that he only met the other Hazbins recently he wouldn't trust them enough to openly talk about what sort of things are going on at the studio. But he might throw them a few bones to see if they are people he can trust in that regard, such as having them be in a place where Valentino was and maybe figure out on their own that something was going on as a silent cry for help.

Cherri stood before the large building, emblazoned with a sign that said “Happy Hotel”. At first sight, none of it was really impressive. While the large imposing dark brown building that was an amalgamation of arched windows and turrets creating a peculiar looking structure that felt like someone took parts of several buildings and randomly put them together. A derelict ocean liner appeared to be embedded into the walls around the fourth or fifth floor resting on its stern while it's bow pointed towards the red sky overhead. It just felt like it was trying too hard. Kinda like that theme park owned by Lucifer Magne, Luu-Luu World. There were even Apple themed stained glass windows, that brought the Luu-Luu cooperation to mind. 

“Angie is staying in this dump?” Cherri Bomb asked herself. “He said it was a crappy hotel on the other side of town, and this does qualify as crappy. Time to make sure these “broads” that are allowing him to live here aren’t going to screw my best guy over. He’s going through enough shit as it is.”

Opening the front door she entered the darkened foyer. If the outside was trying too hard not to appear depressing, the inside clearly wasn’t trying at all. There were boxes and crates everywhere, and a barely functioning fridge was leaned back against one wall. The only pieces of furniture were old and/or broken. A mishmash of vintage posters lined the walls, as well as pictures of Lucifer himself with his wife and daughter. 

“Welcome to the Happy Hotel,” A winged cat, groused from behind the front desk that seemed to double as a bar. He wasn’t really paying her any mind, the only reason he was speaking to her at all was to let her know he was aware she had walked in. “Don’t ask me why this dump called that, I’m just here under protest.”

“Yeah seriously,” Cherri smirked in appreciation that she wasn’t the only one who thought the place was ridiculous. “Why the “Happy Hotel”, This is Hell, what's to be happy about around here.” The demon cat looked up at her then, the quirk of his eyebrow was probably the closest thing he’d give her to appreciation. A blonde-haired woman peered out from a back-office curious as who the unfamiliar voice belonged to. Closely followed by a grumpy looking gray-skinned girl with long white hair. 

“Hello,” The blond-girl said as she left the office. “You’re Angel’s friend...Cherri right?” 

“I see Angie’s been talking about me,” Cherri smirked.

“Not really,” The grumpy girl said, looking less than thrilled about the newcomer. “We were pitching an interview about this place on live TV, when you and Angel were involved in that turf war.” 

“Oh that,” Cherri said with mock sheepishness. “Yeah, I have a way of bringing out his wild side, I taught him everything he knows explosives myself. The two of us are practically partners in crime, on top of being besties''

“And that is exactly why you shouldn’t be here,” The grouchy white-haired girl said. “We are trying to run a business where we are trying to discourage sinful behavior. And we can’t do that if our only test subject is going to be encouraged into entertaining his more nihilistic behaviors.”

“You want to say that again, bitch,” Cherri toothily grinned as she reached into the bodice of her top and pulled out an unlit bomb. “Or do you want to pull the stick out of your crotch first.”

“Wait,” The blond girl said, stepping between the other two girls and waving her arms to defuse the situation before things got too ugly. “Wait stop...look I think we all got on the wrong foot here. This is my girlfriend Vaggie, I’m Charlie Magne, though I just go by Charlie.”

Cherri’s single eye blinked in awe before she glanced back at the picture of Lucifer with his wife and daughter. ~The princess…? Is Angie…?~ 

“It’s a pleasure to meet someone who Angel views as a friend,” Charlie said holding her hand out with a sincere excited smile on her face. Cherri gave a pleased smile herself; she returned the unlit explosive back into her top before she returned the handshake. 

“I’m glad to meet you too,” The punky cyclops responded. A snuffling noise drew her attention towards the bar. “Nuggzie!” Cherri knelt down the small pig trotted up to her so she could scoop him up into her arms for a hug. “Aww, I’ve missed seeing you, sweetie.”

“Great!” The demon cat grumbled, “If you’re planning on moving in, you can take over the pig duty while that fluffy spider’s at the studio.”

“The studio…” A small flash of anger crossed Cherri’s face. Charlie hadn’t noticed it because she was too busy cooing over Fat Nuggets. However, the look didn’t escape the notice of Vaggie’s remaining owl-yellow eye. The gray-skinned girl blinked in concern. The only studio was the porn studio, and as an adult film actor Angel would work there. Was there something going on, something they didn’t know about... yet? 

As much as Angel irritated her there were times she had noticed that something was certainly something that felt off about him. And there were some things about him that didn’t seem to make sense. Not just over the past two weeks since he moved in, but when they first met him. When Charlie had pointed him out to her and said they should talk to him. He had been out prostituting himself on the street on the lower side of Pentagram City. If he was such a famous actor, why wasn’t he living in an apartment in a more upscale part of town?

_ “Yeah! I’m also three months behind on my rent, and so free housin’ sounds like a fucking good deal to me. Plus it would be nice not to have to suck the greasy landlord’s dick every month.”  _ She at first thought that statement was him just being crude at the time, and maybe it was meant to be. But was that meant to imply something as well?

Even after he had moved in he would often make an egotistical show out of everything he did, and strut around like the two of them should be grateful that he agreed to participate in their project. Though occasionally she had seen him hunched over the railing at the top of the stairs. Quietly smoking those blasted red smoke cigarettes and just staring off into space. In those moments he would often look...lost? Troubled? Tired? All of the above? She couldn’t tell. In some of these moments, he would notice she had spotted him as he would become irritated and stalk off towards his room like she had caught him in a private moment. 

The last time he had to give a club performance, he had offered tickets to everyone for free. He had flippantly said performance tickets usually went for $350 each, but he was able to score a few on the house. The only one who had been interested in attending was Charlie, but Vaggie had talked out of attending saying that they didn’t need to watch Angel gyrating himself before a crowd at a strip club. He did that enough as it is without it being a performance. Thinking back on it, why would he give them tickets all the while knowing none wouldn’t really be interested in attending. Was he trying to tell them something, something he didn’t know how to tell them...or was it something he couldn’t tell them?

"Yeah,” Charlie answered the punky girl’s unasked question. “He said he wouldn’t be back until late. One of the things I had him agree to when he involved himself in this Hotel was he couldn’t offer himself on the street anymore. I mean I know he does…” Charlie paused feeling flustered at the very thought of what Angel was doing as his job. “...things as his job at the studio. And I have been suggesting he request a break from filming. I get this feeling that being at the studio might be part of what is holding him back.”

~If you only knew, girlfriend,~ Cherri’s mouth quirked. ~If you only knew.~

The front door opened and none other than Angel Dust himself entered the hotel. He didn’t appear to be moving with his usual flamboyant swagger, instead, he looked like he was carrying a great weight on his scrawny shoulders.

“Angel,” Charlie said, looking up in concern to see him home earlier than expected. “I thought you said you would be back late tonight?” 

“I wasn’t needed for the club performance,” Angel responded as he pulled at the lapel of his jacket like that action was enough to return him to his usual flippant persona. Though the sight that greeted him was obviously one he hadn’t expected. “Cherri?”

“Hey, Angie,” Cherri responded. “You told me you were staying here, so I thought I’d drop by and check things out for myself, I gotta look out for my ‘favorite guy’.” Angel briefly looked away, the shadow of what looked like annoyance or irritation crossing his features. 

“Yeah,” Angel commented. “I wish you had told me you was goin’ to be payin’ a visit. I’d have introduced you to the girls.”

“As if I need any introduction,” Cherri waved it away. “Besides, I’m the one who involved you in that turf war the other week. I thought It’d be better for me to stop by so they don’t end up thinking I’m a bad influence on you or some shit like that.” Cherri’s single-eye narrowed slightly. She may not have been in Hell the same length of time that Angel Dust had, but she had known him long enough to know how he acted when something had happened. And something bad appeared to have happened.

“I didn’t think you’re a bad influence,” Charlie said reassuringly as she placed a friendly hand on the bomber girl's shoulder. “If anything, I’m glad to know he has someone like you for a friend.”

Cherri smirked in appreciation, in her book Charlie was the sort of person Angel needed to have behind him. As much as she did want to stay and chat further with the two girls, she needed to excuse Angel and herself from the conversation. “Hey Angie, I think Nuggzie needs some time with his papa, he hasn’t seen you all day.”

“Oh, right,” Charlie agreed. “Well since you’re back Angel, I’ll be sure to let Razzle and Dazzle know that we have an extra person for dinner. Are you able to join us, Cherri? I’d really like to know how you and Angel met.”

“Thanks for the invite,” Cherri said as he walked up and put a hand on Angel Dust’s shoulder. “But I might need to pass...I have something I need to talk with Angie about, then I’m headed back to my place. Still, it was fun meeting you, I’d like to hang with you guys really soon.“

* * *

There was little talking as the two of them made their way to Angel’s hotel room. Once the door was closed, the two of them began to voice the emotions they didn’t want the other people in the hotel to overhear. 

“Seriously Angie,” Cherri said. “When did you plan on telling me that one of the girls you were staying with was actually the Princess of Hell?”

“Like that title means chickenshit to anybody?” Angel groused. 

“Maybe not, but she is still heir to the throne right?” Cherri pointed out. “She may not be Lucifer, but she is of the royal family. She does have some influence on things.”

“Look babydoll,” Angel said “I appreciate ya wantin’ to look out for me and all. But I wish ya tell me when you gonna do something like drop by unannounced.”

“You’d do the same for me,” Cherri defended as she put Fat Nuggets down on the bed before sitting down and leaned back so she was supported by her hands and hooking one leg over her knee. The small pig settled down making a nest among the blankets. “You’ve got enough shit going on, you’d think I’d just sit by and let someone else screw over my guy-pal.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Angel responded as he took out his cigarettes from an inner pocket of his jacket. Pulling one out he lit it this was the same brand that Valentino used and the only one that his employer permitted him to smoke. Maybe it was because of the color of the smoke, Val’s brand was the only one that gave off a reddish colored smoke. Though he had no idea how Val could tell when he tried to use other brands. He had used a different brand of cigs while he had been at home away from Val’s prying gaze. Only for the moth to jump on him the next day about using a different brand because he smelled different. “I’d like Vags a lot better if she’d lighten up and…”

“Pull the stick out of her vagina,” Cherri finished the sentence, with a huge grin on her face. Angel smirked as he leaned against the wall. “Yeah...though she doesn’t seem to like or trust men in general...lesbian or not, that ain’t something gals do for no good reason.”

“That’s what I’ve always loved about you Angie,” Cherri said “You pick up on things about people. That Charlie girl, she obviously wants to be someone who you think of as a friend.”

“I know she does,” Angel said. “I want to trust her but…”

“You don’t know her well enough,” Cherri finished the statement. “I get that and I understand that completely. Still, you don’t know how relieved I am to know you are starting to get more people into your corner. Is she really that cheery?”

“I wouldn’t say all the time,” Angel shrugged.”At least not 100% of the time, It’s more like 89-95% tops. Kinda a bit ironic that we’re in Hell, the place the sinful and the damned suffer for all eternity and she is the only one who is able to see visions of rainbows and fluffy clouds everywhere. Her enthusiasm can be intense, but even I’ll admit to takin’ a shine to her. And the people you met downstairs aren’t even everyone who is stayin’ at this hotel. You saw, Husker, he’s the guy running the bar. He’s sweet in a grouchy way, there is another female demon called Niffty who works as the housekeeper around here, both of them were brought in by Alastor.” 

“Who’s Alastor?” Cherri cocked her head. The way he said that name sounded like somebody she should be aware of, but it didn’t ring any bells.

“This really creepy prick,” Angel responded, “He’s usually hanging out in his room and rarely comes down. He only wanted to help out because he saw that interview that Sweet Cheeks was trying to give out at the TV studio. Though he did say he’s only wanting to help out so he can be entertained in watching this place and the wayward souls who decide to join it fail. I’d be less weirded out by him if he didn’t smile like Valentino.”

“Speaking of Val,” Cherri inquired as her natural Australian accent unconsciously slipped through into her voice. “He did something to you today, didn't he? You’re always jumpy after he does something. Unlike the girls downstairs I know what he does to you, so don’t be pulling the webbing over my eye, mate.”

“He er,” Angel sighed as he leaned his head back against the surface of the wall and closed his eyes. “He made me suck his dick today.”

“WHAT!?!?” Cherri nearly screamed as she immediately sat up to attention, her single eye wide with concern. “Oh Angie...Angie, Angie this is bad.”

“He was just making sure that I wasn’t using the people I’m associating with here as a means to escape him.” Angel let out a snort of frustration. “I mean I don’t know what Charlie can honestly do to convince Val to release me from his service. Also I ain’t exactly high enough on the status pyramid for her father to give any flying fucks. And Al, he does things only when they benefit or entertain him. Still, Val does have reason to be scared as Al ain’t a slouch, you should have seen what he did to that old Snakelords airship. That was some serious power...enough to make a good number of the overlords want to piss themselves. And Charlie, I get the feeling she ain’t as naive as she comes across. Though given this whole redemption project...that might be hard to believe.”

“But still,” Cherri said in concern. “I know this is Hell and this is the sort of shit that happens to people every day and no one blinks an eye. But that doesn’t mean it should happen. Have you tried telling your new friends about Valentino at least?”

“Sort of,” Angel sighed. “I arranged to give them some tickets to my last club performance. I figured that maybe if they could be in a place where Val would be, they’d get the impression that something was up. But none of ‘em came and I...didn’t expect them to show anyway so there ya go.”

“And you don’t let me go after him myself,” Cherri stated, tears coming to her single eye. “I don’t care if he’s an Overlord, what I care about is the fact he is hurting you...that he’s hurting my best friend, for his own amusement and sick pleasure. How long before he rapes you? How long before he kills you?”

~He was raping me before you met me, Sugar Tits~ Angel mentally thought

“He already does shit to me because of those signs you blow up.” Angel pointed out. “So involving yourself ain’t exactly doin’ me any favors, honeybunch.”

Cherri’s eye widened in shock...she hadn’t realized that even doing something as minimal as blowing up billboards around the city could have repercussions. After all, in Pentagram City there was usually something being vandalized or destroyed by someone for whatever given reason. So why would Angel Dust be subjected to whatever because she decided to blow up a billboard or two? It was because Angel knew her or was familiar enough with her for them to suspect why she was doing it. Even if Angel would never openly tell Val or anyone else that she was blowing signs because of him. It wouldn’t have been a stretch for them to come to the conclusion that Angel was the motivation behind it. Moving away from where he was leaning against the wall Angel stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray before he sat down beside her wrapping all four arms around her. 

“Angie…” She sobbed into his coat. “I didn’t think...I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, baby-girl,” He said as he held her. “I know you want to get me out of Val’s hands, I appreciate it. But this was going on even before Val came into the picture. This ain’t something I can just run from or erase. Much like my ties to the Mafia, I can estrange myself from my family, but I can never wash away the fact I’ll always be connected to crime. Angel Dust-the porn star is all I’m ever gonna be.”

“But there has to be something to get you out of there,” Cherri protested. “You need to have other people besides me know what is happening. What he’s doing to you just isn’t right, even in Hell it just isn’t right. I know you want to believe that you have some sort of control in this, but it’s only going to become worse. I can’t bear the thought of losing you to him. I don’t want you to go through all this shit, I love you Angie.” Tearfully looking up Cherri lovingly cupped his cheek leaning up as she lightly pressed her mouth against his. 

Cherri was aware Angel Dust was gay and would never truly be interested in her as more than just a friend or a sister at best. But she was pansexual herself and had occasionally offered her own body to him as a lover just for the sake of comfort when she felt that was what he had needed. Just like he would open himself to her in the same manner when he felt she needed him. It wasn’t lust or pleasure, it was just a simple act of love between two close friends.

“What does he have you scheduled for tomorrow?” Cherri asked. 

“I have the next couple of days off,” Angel said. 

“Well, that’s good isn’t it,” Cherri brightened. “We can use this time to explain what is going on to Charlie. Maybe she could do something or figure out what we could do about what is happening.” Angel shook his head in response. 

“The days off aren’t a vacation,” Angel sighed. “Valentino wants to see if I would use those days as an opportunity to escape.” Cherri's hopeful smile lowered in disappointment as she leaned it back against Angel’s chest. 

“So if you drop contact it proves he was right that you are trying to escape him,” She said. “And if you don’t you are only going to let him win.”

“Catch 22,” Angel sighed in agreement.

“You can’t keep this subterfuge forever, Angie,” Cherri said as she got up. “Sooner or later, Charlie or her friend are going to notice something is going on, and you don’t want Valentino to be behind it when they do. What if...maybe if I moved into this place it might help you get comfortable enough with the two of them to explain what’s happening? At the very least someone else who can try defuse any situations that are a concern.”

“Ya wouldn’t like it, Sugar,” Angel Dust smirked. “Remember, no fights, no pranks...no fun.”

“Yeah,” Cherri smirked, “but between you and me, we might make it fun. Besides if Charlie and Vaggie are ever into the idea of a threesome, I could be game.”

“Hey, it might be good to have someone I know I can actually talk to around here, besides Nuggz. " Angel agreed with a laugh.

“Thanks for coming by and visiting us,” Charlie said Cherri entered the Foyer. 

“Hey, no problem,” Cherri responded, offering a toothy grin at the other blond. “It was nice meeting you and your friend And I’m glad you’re trying to be someone Angie trust in his life”

“It’s not easy,” Charlie said, giving an exhaustive sigh. “I’m sure you can relate. I know he’s a good person, but I get this feeling that there is just so much pain and anger built over it that he just acts out and doesn’t know how to respond in any other way.”

“Yeah, he’s a bit much,” Cherri responded. “When it comes to him, the only advice I can give you is to be patient. He won’t tell you himself...but he has been jerked around by a lot of people so he’s not going to open up and trust you immediately. Still, if there is one thing to be said about him, he is a listener and does pick up on things. So include him in conversations, ask him about anything that might be on your mind, it doesn’t matter if he teases you about it or not. Just genuinely be open to talking to him, because that will help him open up.”

* * *

“Thank you,” Charlie responded feeling like she received a key to unlocking the puzzle that was Angel Dust. “Thank you so much. Please come visit us again, I believe having you around would also be beneficial to helping him in our project.” 

“Yeah about that, I was wondering,” Cherri said. “I was wondering if I can participate in this Hotel Project as well.” Charlie beamed and immediately hugged the other girl. 

“Yes,” Charlie said. “Yes, you are welcome to join in. I’ll have Vaggie draw up the paperwork tonight and fill you in on the rules in a couple of days. I am so glad you want to be a part of this, you will love it here. And having you here as one of our patrons will definitely be helpful in Angel’s progress and bring in others as well.”

“Okay, see you in a couple of days,” Cherri said as she walked out the door and into the night. 


	4. Chapter 4

Early morning at the Happy Hotel, bright and cheerful. At least as bright and cheerful as a morning in Hell could be. Charlie was overseeing breakfast preparation as she happily hummed to herself. 

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea for Cherri Bomb to be living here,” Vaggie commented from where she stood by the wall. “I like her better than Angel, but she tends to prefer behaviors that we are trying to discourage.”

“She’s rough around the edges,” Charlie agreed. “But she’s good, I can tell. Plus Angel is close with her and they obviously mean something to each other. I believe having her here would be beneficial in helping Angel reach his potential at redemption. She also understands him better than we do. Having someone he is familiar with might help us because we would be able to see what he responds to. 

A knock at the door drew Charlie’s attention. Vaggie looked up suspiciously at the silhouette of the tall figure with a rectangular head. There was only one known demon with a figure like that.

“Should we answer?” Charlie asked. 

“What do you think?” Vaggie responded. 

“He couldn’t be worse than Alastor,” Charlie shrugged, though she had a dark feeling that she was inviting danger but she had to hear him out. Opening the door she was greeted by none other than Vox, the head of the TV station, and various media forms. The TV-faced demon smiled down at her. While his smile was meant to come across as friendly, it looked more maliciously pained than pleasant.

“Hello my dear,” The TV Demon said, “Do you mind if I come in?”

“Uh Sure,” Charlie said as she stepped aside to permit him entry. She would only hear what he had to say, she didn’t need to accept it. 

“I was rewatching that delightful little jingle you delivered at the TV station the other week,” Vox’s synthesized voice said. “And I was wondering if I can offer some suggestions.”

“Hey...whoa,” Husk said as he nearly dropped his bottle of cheap booze. “You’re not wanted here!

“Ah yes, Alastor’s associates.” Vox sneered at the sight of Husk and Niffty. “I see you have an association with the Radio Demon.”

“Yes,” Charlie replied. “He said he wanted to help.” 

“My dear,” Vox replied with a laugh, “What I have to offer you is better than anything that antiquated, static spewing, charlatan could ever hope to give you. As you are aware, I do run a number of media companies and I can see your hotel and it’s message becoming a “reality show”. Demons would tune in every week to see the competitors struggle to reach the ultimate goal of redemption and laugh as each one of them fails time and time again. And viewers would be able to access my many multimedia forums to gush and converse about who is going to win and vote out whoever is unworthy.”

* * *

Angel rolled over and looked blearily out the window a the bright red sky of hell. The clock on the bedside table told him it was after ten so it was well into the morning. He didn’t have work to go to so he didn’t need to dress up in his custom Valentino Jacket and black skirt. 

Slipping out of his night clothes he pulled out a bright pink cold-shoulder top with ¾ length sleeves and a black pair of skin-tight jeans over which he pulled his kinky black thigh-high boots finishing the ensemble off with a pair of rose-colored lace wrist length gloves. This was a bit more conservative than what he usually wore, but hey it wasn’t every day he got a day off let alone two of them, he might as well enjoy it while they lasted. 

Exiting his room he started down the hall but paused as he heard a familiar voice speaking to Charlie. A voice that only spoke of trouble. Speed Walking towards the staircase he froze with fear as none other than Vox was standing in the foyer. 

“...And viewers would be able to access my many multimedia forums to gush and converse about who is going to win and vote out whoever is unworthy.” Vox was grandly proposing to Charlie. The blond-girl for her part was listening to Vox, but she wasn’t as open to his offerings as she was to Alastor.

“I’m sorry,” Charlie said diplomatically. “But you don’t seem to understand the cause of this hotel. I created this place with the intention for it to be an alternative to the cleansings we have every year. Because while there are souls in this world who are beyond redemption and have no intention to change. There are souls out there who really are good people and don’t deserve to be in hell. But they made choices in life that have resulted in them being reborn here. This hotel is meant to be a safe place for them to heal and free themselves from the sins binding them to this world so they can be free to enter Heaven.”

“So romantic,” Vox commented. “And yet so very foolishly naive. If these “good souls” as you call them are really so *good*. Why didn’t they fear the possibility of where they would end up when their lives ended? Every soul in Hell knows that the end of the line is when you pass on. By accepting my help, I can turn this place into a gold mine. Enough to fill the Magne family vault for centuries to come, and you would get so many more patrons in this place. Certainly, ones that are better clientele than a certain spider that has taken residence here. Speaking of...do you have anything to add to the conversation...*Angel*?” 

Vox turned his screen like head towards the landing as though his antenna had picked up Angel’s presence.

Charlie also caught sight of Angel standing on the guest floor landing. She hadn’t even seen him enter the hotel foyer. Immediately she could tell something was wrong. Angel wasn’t wearing his usual mask of egotistical cynicism. Instead, he looked scared...no frightened. 

Flippant and cynical were usual behaviors for Angel Dust, as well as egotistical and rude. But she knew personally that this was all a mask he wore to hide the softer side of himself. She knew this because there had been moments when she had first met him where he hadn’t removed the mask. But he had lifted it as though sensing if she was someone who could be trusted with the real him, yet wasn’t ready to place his full faith in her just yet. But this...this was like the mask had unknowingly slipped away and Vox’s presence was exposing some of the raw and infected emotion that existed underneath it. Her eyes briefly turned towards Vaggie in concern to see if she was also witnessing this as well. Vaggie met hers with the same concern that there was something very wrong going on. 

“What...nothing to say?” Vox mockingly asked. “That’s strange considering how opinionated you usually are when I’ve seen you with your employer.” 

“I don’t believe I will require anything you are offering,” Charlie stated, returning Vox’s attention to her. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t like what she saw and things were going to get worse if they continued. “Thank you for your time, have a nice day.” 

“I’m giving you the opportunity of a lifetime,” Vox’s televised voice said in confusion. “I can help you make this place into a success.”

“I have all the assistance I need,” Charlie said insistently as she walked towards the door and opened it. “Please leave.” Vox sneered in annoyance seeing as Charlie was not going to accept his offer. 

“As you wish my dear,” the TV demon said as he left. “If you do change your mind, don’t hesitate to let me know. Oh...and just a fair warning I would be mindful of your current *guest* if I were you...he can be...shall we call it treacherous.” Closing the door behind the T.V. demon Charlie let out a sigh of relief before her eyes turned to the second-floor landing. Angel wasn’t anywhere in sight meaning he must have left at some point when she had drawn away Vox’s attention though she had a good idea of where he may have gone.

“What was...what was that about?” Vaggie asked as Charlie stepped away from the door. 

“I...I don’t know.” Charlie said. “It seems Vox is familiar with both Alastor and Angel.”

“Oh Vox and Alastor do not get along,” Husk responded. “Alastor isn’t afraid of Vox, but he doesn’t like him. If they actually saw each other you’d be having to rebuild this entire hotel.”

“Well, we will have to make sure Vox doesn’t have the opportunity to see Alastor.” Charlie said. “This hotel has had enough fiascos in the last week without it becoming a war zone.”

“What did Vox mean about Angel’s employer?” Vaggie asked. 

“If it’s who I think it is...:” Huck said. “You are better off not poking that nest. Vox has some buddies that aren’t exactly known for being reasonable. If you cross ‘em they are going to give you a lot of grief.”

“I’m going to figure out who Angel may be associated with,” Vaggie stated. “If we knew we would be able to figure out what should be done.”

“Ah,” A familiar staticy voice stated as Alastor entered the foyer. “I thought I smelled bacon. Please don’t have my portion cooked crispy, I do like to have my meat on the rare side.”

“I have asked Razzle and Dazzle to keep a few slices undercooked for you,” Charlie said. 

“Merci beaucoup, my charming dear,” Alastor said approvingly, “As I was leaving my executive suite, I couldn’t help but notice Vox vacating the premises and he appeared to be rather perturbed.”

“He came by looking to outdo you,” Husk said. “But…”

“But he caught sight of Angel,” Charlie said. 

“Interesting…” Alastor commented, his smile seeming to widen in amusement. “Ha, dare I ask what sort of business would that pompous piece of shit wanted with our only guest. Aside from the obvious illicit moments of promiscuity that Angel frequently partakes in.” 

“I don’t know,” Charlie sighed as she climbed the stairs to the second-floor landing. “It looked more like he was deliberately here to find Angel but was using you as his excuse. Anyway...I need to go see if he’s alright, I don’t know what is going on. But for some reason...Vox being here seemed to frighten him.”

“I see,” Alastor said as the blond-haired girl walked past him and down the hall. “Ha, I wish I had come down in time to witness our aracknious companion quaking in those obnoxious boots he enjoys flaunting himself in.” 

“I’m going to look up who is in charge of the porn studio.” Vaggie groused.

“Ha, don’t bother yourself with a silly form of worthless technology,” Alastor answered. “The person who runs that parlor of ill repute that Angel actively invests his time is known as...Valentino."

* * *

Angel didn’t look up from where he sat on the bed holding Fat Nuggets in his arms. While he usually turned to cigarettes to help with anxiety he had noted he had a habit of smoking like a chimney when he was really stressed. Val’s cigarettes weren’t exactly cheap, which made them yet another thing that damn moth liked to fuck him over with. 

~Damn, why did Vox have to be here?~ Angel thought as he looked out the window of his room. Outside was pentagram city, glowing like a jewel in the distance was the uptown side with its clubs, its bars, and drug dens. Then the pristine squat round column of the porn studio...his profession and his prison. He wanted to escape, longed to run for it and never return. But the last time he had...he had wound up chained down to a metal table as some backwater demon dentist chiseled a single tooth out of his mouth without using novocaine, dipped it into molten gold before inserting it back into the empty socket where it painfully seared against the raw flesh.

He wasn’t a total prisoner there, since he did have a place he could go that wasn’t the studio. Though if Val had his way, he wanted him to take up permanent residence. There were rooms there for the whores to use as the place did serve as a brothel. Angel himself was offered there as private entertainment for more exclusive guests. One of which he didn’t think Charlie should know about, because it would only hurt her if she knew. 

There were so many others there like himself who wanted freedom, who felt trapped under Valentino’s control. Many had given up on it long ago, they would tell him that it would all be easier if he didn’t fight. But he couldn’t do that, before he had met Cherri he had been at the point where he had given up resistance. What was the point in fighting it? After all, no one cared about you, no one was going to come to save you. People only cared about what you could be to them, what sort of asset you provided. You were seen as nothing more than a toy they can use to their heart's content and then toss out when they were tired of you. Once you are already broken, there is nothing to be gained by shattering yourself more? 

Cherri was the first person he really felt he could call a friend. Even then that was something that didn’t happen overnight. And as close as he was to her, he still kept his guard up to be on the safe side. After all their partnership was based on mutual use for one another. Eventually, a day would come where Cherri and his partnership with her would end. He didn’t know if it would be through death or betrayal, all he knew is that when he did part ways with her, it would be in blood. Still she was the first person to really notice how trapped he felt. And she was the first person to ask why he allowed such things to happen to him. Questions he had never asked himself because he never thought to ask. Why did he allow this to happen to him? Did he really feel he deserved it, or that he didn’t have a choice? Or was there a part of him that felt this was not what he wanted, part of him that actually felt that he could be more than he was? After all, when something has already been broken, what are you going to do...continue to break it. If something is broken, you either throw it away as damaged goods. Or you fix it, make it a part of something else...something better. It was just a matter of figuring out where those broken pieces fit. 

There was a cautious knock at the door of his room. 

“Angel…” He heard Charlie say his name. “Do you mind if I come in?” He didn’t respond to her question. He knew she had seen him when Vox had been there earlier. Yes, he could say he minded, that he needed to be alone right now, that he wasn’t in the mood to listen to her concerns or requests that he just talk about whatever is bothering him. Before it occurred to him to object. The door opened and he heard her enter the room. His back was to her so he couldn’t see her face, but he imagined what she wanted to ask. Questions like "Are you okay? Is something happening? You know you are free to talk to me if anything is bothering you" speels. All of it would just lead to cans of worms he wasn't ready to open or want to. Plus doing so would be admitting that just being here he was a danger to this hotel and everyone in it.

Fortunately, there wasn't much for Val to attack as attacking Charlie did have the risk of bringing Lucifer's wrath down on him. And Alastor, while he did things for his own reasons. He wouldn't just allow someone to walk in the hotel and terrorize it. After all, he took out Sir Pentious's ship when the serpent demon arrived looking for him and just assumed he was under the Radio Demon's protection. That didn't mean that Alastor gave any cares for whatever reasons the snake may have had to target him. But the moth overlord could still show up and forcibly take him back at gunpoint and there wouldn't be all that much any of the others could do to stop it from happening. 

Charlie surprisingly said nothing to him once she entered the room. Instead, she crawled across his bed and maneuvered herself so she was seated beside him. She didn’t look at him or say anything...was she waiting for him to say something or acknowledge her in some way. 

For some reason, the companionable silence between them was making him feel more at ease than had been moments before. He started slightly as Charlie lightly placed a hand on his arm before leaning her head against his shoulder. Again she said nothing to him, just letting the silence between them speak for itself. But the sisterly gesture said as clear as any shout ‘I’m here for you if you need me’. Hesitantly he wrapped one of his lower arms around her waist allowing her to have that sibling-like embrace. A soft smile crossed Charlie’s face feeling like she had made some sort of breakthrough with him. This was not the act that he showed the world, this was real...this was who Angel Dust truly was. She remained that way with him until she felt his anxiety had been soothed away. Standing up she turned to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Come downstairs and join us,” She said with a warm friendly smile before she left the room. “When you are ready.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have a vocal recording I did of Angel Dust giving his explanation and can be found on my youtube channel. 
> 
> I don't quite capture Angel's voice and I know the series version of Angel Dust would be more likely to wait until more shit hit the fan before spilling his guts if he figures it's best he do so. But I do manage to accurately display how he would act if he had to be in that situation which would be starting out with a "I don't want to do this, but we're here now so let's just get this shit over with." attitude, become steadily emotional as things progress though still trying reign it in, and then making the mature offer of leaving if they feel that his presence is too much of a risk for the Hotel to deal with.

“Charlie, I think we have a serious problem,” Vaggie said as she hurried to Charlie’s side the moment the blond girl returned to the foyer. “Angel’s employer is one of the Overlords.”

“An Overlord…?” Charlie replied somewhat confused. 

“The one known as Valentino,” Vaggie responded. “The leader of the Three-V’s Triumvirate. Oh, Hun, this is bad! This is really bad!”

“I’ve heard of Valentino, and the Three-V’s,” Charlie said though she did start to wonder. “But, all they do is run the media and entertainment companies right?” 

“Yes, but it’s worse than that,” Vaggie said. “Valentino is the newest overlord of the three of them, but he is not someone we want to cross. If we do it could mean the destruction of this hotel and the lives of everyone in it. ”

“But…” Charlie said. “This building was acquired by me and I am responsible for it. If it was destroyed my dad would want to find those who were responsible. Besides, we don’t know Angel’s side of the story...maybe we should learn what is going on and then figure out what to do from there.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Alastor interjected. “But perhaps it would be a wiser decision to cut our losses with Angel Dust before things get out of hand. After all he has proven to be problematic...spider demons in my experience have always been a deceptive and distasteful villainous sort. It is very likely he has been using you from the beginning, keeping him here would only bring trouble.”

_“Just a fair warning I would be mindful of your current *guest* if I were you...he can be...shall we call it treacherous.”_

_“He has been jerked around by a lot of people so he’s not going to open up and trust you immediately. Still, if there is one thing to be said about him, he is a listener and does pick up on things.”_

“That’s not fair,” Charlie insisted. As she remembered Vox’s warning to her and the advice that Cherri had offered. “You may be correct that Angel hasn’t been completely honest with any of us. But I know in my heart he wants help...he wants *our* help. It goes against the purpose of this hotel to abandon those who need help because of the risks posed. And it goes against what I believe in. 

“We are talking about the Three-V’s...Overlords.” Vaggie pointed out. “If he’s associated with them, then how do we know he isn’t here because of them.”

“I don’t think he’s associated with them by choice,” Charlie said. “Remember when we first met him. He was willing to hear us out but he wasn’t particularly interested in the hotel, especially since redemption isn’t something that has been proven. And it’s not something that most demons believe in, but he...he still agreed to help.”

“Yeah, out of pride” Vaggie pointed out. “I was the one saying that he wasn’t cut out to be a candidate and he reacted to it and said he could be whatever he wanted to be.”

“Perhaps…” Alastor remarked as though in thought. “Perhaps not...I admit I don’t know Angel Dust particularly well and I don’t have any interest or respect for his brand of entertainment. However, he is still an actor...as such he likely does play a role to present himself as what he wants the world to see.”

“That does make some sense,” Charlie admitted. “When I gave him that money...he didn’t exactly drop the egotistic act...but it was like something shifted.”

“Ha,” Alastor let out a bark that sounded like delight. “You took him by surprise. Kindness can indeed be something unexpected here in Hell, particularly by sinners.”

* * *

“Yeah...I know I’ll have to tell ‘em.” Angel said into his phone. “........No...I don’t think they’d kick me to the curb or at least I don’t believe Charlie would be open to going that route, she’s crazy like that. Though I’m sure she’s been told that would be a good idea, considering what sort of dangers come with me being here……..Yeah, it’d be just like that shit-bag to try and take this away from me simply because he can. No...I don’t know what I will do if I’m forced to leave…..Stay with you? I don’t know, that might be a bit risky. Maybe a day or two until I can find an inn that won’t give me too much trouble until I can get a place..… or since you’re moving into the Hotel anyway, I could move into your apartment, quick transition...oh...your not so sure you want to do that now. Hey, you’ve gone to the trouble of packing up, the space is good...and the company’s okay. Charlie really seemed to like you, and sure the place ain’t what I’d call luxurious but it’s alright once you get used to it. Yeah...see you soon, Doll Face.” 

Angel sighed as he got off the phone with Cherri. He had a Voxphone that he kept his personal contact numbers. To avoid suspicion with Val he had listed the account for this phone under the name he had when he had been alive. It felt weird to use the name Anthony again after being known as ‘Angel Dust’ for over seventy years. But it was all worth it so Valentino didn’t track down and hurt those who mattered to him like Cherri just to spite him. Glancing down at the contact list, the numbers had increased by two in the last few weeks. He wasn’t ready to call Charlie and Vaggie friends, he was kinda friendly towards them and they were nice to him and all. At least Charlie was.

But it also wasn’t like he wasn’t avoiding being friends either. Val knew about Cherri’s existence and tolerated her. But he had threatened her life before as part of hinted punishments for misbehavior. The moth would tell him horrible things that he could do to her and wanted to do to her, such as brutally rape and torture her all the while forcing Angel to watch. Nuggz was also on his threat list, though those were cruel jokes such as making bacon out of Angel’s pet pig or serving him up as pork chops someday. 

That was why he couldn’t allow himself to be too close with Charlie or Vaggie. While Val physically couldn’t do anything to Charlie. That didn’t mean he couldn't harm the other people in the hotel. While most of the time if a demon was shot or brutally eviscerated, depending on the extent of the damage their bodies would slowly reform themselves and they'd be back to causing trouble. The only thing that could truly kill a demon was one of the spears that the exterminators would use during the Cleansings. Those were a high commodity and sold for thousands on the black market. Val was prone to buying a number of the exterminator's spears from the black market and having them melted down into bullets for his guns. 

And he did have a lot of connections and associations that certainly could and would make Charlie’s life hell. Cherri was right, they needed to learn what was going on so they at least knew the truth from him. Otherwise, they could hear something from Val. The moth would threaten the hotel and say he couldn't be held responsible for what will come to pass if they don't surrender Angel Dust into his hands. 

"I am such a stupid, stupid, slut." Angel said as he gave himself a bitter laugh. "Why did I agree to do this? Was I so full of my pride that I had to insist that I was the best person they could have for this project? I knew I was taking a risk in participating, but if I'd only stopped to consider that I was draggin' more people into my problems. I'd have just gotten out of the car and that would be the end of it. Cherri only knows what's happening because she refused to leave the issue alone. And she's in danger for knowin'. If I'd been think'n I'd have left this place the day Val started poking into my business here. But then what...the landlord was all too happy to see the backside'a me when I moved out of my SRO and started living here. I don't got enough to get a new place to live, and wouldn't it be so appropriate for the Princess of Hell herself to screw me over...why not?... It's not like everyone else hasn't already? The only possible place is the studio...and I don't wanna live there. Particularly since Val would just..." Angel paused and shuddered as the memories of spending unknown periods of days in a chamber with a chain padlocked around his ankle. " 

"I guess I'd bettah get this shit done." Angel sigh to himself. "At least Charlie might be willin' to look after Nuggz until I can get somewhere else to live."

Leaving his room he had started down the hall towards the stairs, he could overhear the girls conversing, it sounded like Alastor was with them. And he knew exactly what subject matter was about. ~Oh great…~ Angel mentally sighed. ~First Vox, now Alastor...I really fucking hate Overlords.” 

“Maybe…” He could hear Charlie say. “But you didn’t see what Vaggie and I witnessed. It wasn’t an act. I know what I saw wasn’t something you can just pretend to be. I don’t know what’s going on, or why, but I know what I saw...what I had experienced today was real. One of the things a friend of his said to me last night is that he has been hurt by others in the past. I have gotten the impression at times that there are some things he does want to let us know but is unsure of what will happen as a result or how we will take it.”

Arriving at the second-floor landing he watched the two girls and the red-haired demon gathered in a small circle.

“Ah-ha,” Alastor proudly deciphered. “So the arachnid has a metaphorical psychosis known as ‘Porcupine's dilemma’. He doesn’t wish to be close or have committed relationships with others since he associates that with pain. So he withdraws in order to avoid being hurt in the process. But things can’t change for him unless he does run the risk of being hurt or causing pain to others until a tolerable acceptance can be achieved.” 

Angel bristled in response. The deer demon wasn’t exactly wrong, but it just felt too simple. The Radio Demon didn’t know what life has been like for him for the past seventy-three years since he awoke in Hell. It was true he didn’t trust others because he had been hurt or betrayed in the past. But it also was foolish to openly trust others. In Hell the only person you could count on at all was yourself. Everyone else used you until they didn’t need you anymore. The worst sort were the people who made you believe they cared about you, just when you thought you had people you can actually trust, they stab you in the back both figuratively and literally. 

“If you put it that way…” Charlie started to say. 

“Ya makin me sound defective, Smiles.” Angel interrupted as he stood perched against the second-floor railing. “Though I gather from the conversation you’re havin’ the jig is up.” 

“Ah Angel,” Alastor said nonchalantly “We were just wondering about you.”

“Il bastardo mi mette comunque alla prova. (The bastard tests me anyway).” Angel growled under his breath as he started down the stairs. He didn’t bother with plastering any fake smiles or trademark smirks. Mentally he assessed those gathered. Husk and Niffty were minding their own business though Husk did cast a critical eye towards him. Alastor continued to regard him with that infuriatingly self-righteous smile. Vaggie sternly regarded him, her expression betraying no emotion. Only Charlie seemed to regard him with any sort of compassion. 

“We need to talk,” Charlie said, choosing her words carefully. None of them wanted to say it but they all knew once things were in the open, everything would change. 

“I know,” Angel calmly said. He maintained a calm facade, internally he could feel his emotions racing a mile a minute. This was happening way too fast for his liking, even Cherri had been his friend for several years before he finally admitted to her about being smacked around by Val.

“I’m not going to force you to reveal anything you are not comfortable or ready to say,” Charlie stated emphatically. Angel crooked the brow of his darker eye questioningly. Was she giving him an out? Was she honestly saying he didn’t need to go through with this...at least not at this moment. Even Vaggie seemed to regard Charlie with a ‘What are you doing?’ expression. “If you would feel more comfortable having Cherri with you, we can wait until she arrives. But we do need to know what is going on outside this hotel. I want to help in any way I can, but…”

“You need to hear it from me,” Angel finished the statement. He closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration. “I’ll admit that I don’t want to do this...but we’re here now. Let’s just get this shit over with already. However, I’ll only say what I’m going to say once...and only to you two.” Angel pointed at Charlie and Vaggie since both girls were management. Alastor didn’t protest or argue, he just respectfully nodded as though confirming the other man had made a wise decision and trapesed away without a care. 

* * *

The three of them had gathered at the front office. Charlie had taken her place behind the desk, the subject matter was not something that made her comfortable. But she needed to know what was going on so she could assess and prepare for what challenges lay ahead. Vaggie was standing close behind Charlie. She wanted to understand what was going on as well as she didn’t want Charlie to wind up hurt by it.

Angel Dust sat before them. He didn’t hide the fact he was uncomfortable with what he was about to reveal, but it was better said now... than later by someone else. Especially when the truth could be twisted by someone like Valentino. 

Even all this was a lost cause, even if he could never actually escape Val. Perhaps, the Hotel would be willing to help him save others...start with the brothels and get other people Val kept under his chains. Maybe two or three at a time, get them out as he could so there would never be another demon who was treated as he was. So there would never be another demon given the label of "Valentino's personal whore". 

Eventually and hopefully he could get Summer and Dia out at some point. He may not be fond of the two of them, but that didn't mean he didn't feel guilt during the moments he was forced to watch as Valentino hurt one or both of them. Telling him that they are suffering because he displeased him and that he would have to live with knowing he brought pain on them by his actions. 

Charlie may not be able to redeem any of them, but she'd be able to keep 'em safe for a time. Help them find better lives here in hell. He longed for a cigarette at that moment, but Charlie had made it clear the office and foyer were non-smoking areas when he moved in. If this was to be his last night here he could light one anyway. But he wanted to show that he at least had some respect for their rules even if he didn’t really like to play by them. 

“Where would you like me to start?” Angel asked cautiously. He couldn’t really wear his mask of cynicism now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag. But that didn’t mean he was ready for them to really see him for who he truly was just yet.

“How long had this been going on?” Charlie asked. The question wasn’t angry or disappointed but still demanded an explanation. 

“How long have I been with Val?” Angel inquired tilting his head slightly. “Or how long have I been in the sex-trade in general? I mean it’s been a rough ride, either way, I’ll give ya that. I guess the best answer I can give for both questions is ...a while. Valentino’s not the first person to have ground me into the dirt, there have certainly had a number of douchebags who have used and abused me before I met Val. Fortunately, you don’t gotta worry about any of them, but Val...Val ain’t someone you want coming here. And Vox, don’t get me started with him, he’s not as ruthless as Val but he’s just as bad. He and Val are kinda like off and on, and Velvet is like their psychotically insane daughter” He closed his eyes, it was so much easier to reminisce on the painful memories if he didn’t have to look into Charlie’s eyes as he spoke. 

“I met Val…oh I don’t know...a handful of decades ago.” Angel continued. “I had been working at this casino where a previous...I guess I’d call him a boyfriend had bartered me into the winnings and the house won. So there you go, an automatic job you never really asked for and no more boyfriend so he’s out’a the picture. I had been working there as part of the “entertainment” I guess you can call it. Fortunately, they tell you how much you have to scrape together so you can buy your way out. It takes a few years and some of the other people put in the same position do try to swipe from you if you ain’t careful. But I had managed to get the money needed to buy myself out...except when I go to give it to the manager. He tells me I have been sold to somebody, but he still takes the money as payment for my time there. And that’s how I met Val, in the car ride to the studio he had told me he saw me worken’ there and thought my face looked like star material. That he had plans for me...big plans, bull shit like that.”

Angel grit his teeth as he felt tears threaten to well up in his eyes. He wouldn’t cry, he forced himself not to cry. There was more pain coming, and he didn’t want to show weakness by breaking down now. The only person he trusted enough to see him in tears, from the sound of things had just arrived in the foyer. He could hear what sounded like Alastor enthusiastically weirding her out by making her acquaintance. 

“And yeah he made me a star... '' Angel forced himself to continue the story and ignore what was going on just beyond the door. “Or what people saw on the surface as one. Behind the scenes, it was a different story. I wasn’t too thrilled about thinkin’ I had earned my freedom only to have it all snatched away from me. And Val made it clear that I was expected ta use my body to make the money spent on me worth it. When I asked how much I needed to make before I had paid him off, he responded by saying ‘Until *they* don’t want you anymore.’ Abuse became part of the everyday norm, beatings, starvation, isolation, threats of violence, and worse punishments if I fought back or resisted. Even when I did everything he wanted he’d still rip me knew one just because he felt like it. He never went for the face much- since bruises and shiners aren’t really all that marketable. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t make me hurt for days on end. Some years after this started I met Cherri. 

Like you, I didn’t tell her what was going on. Val had a thing of seeing me broken and miserable. He enjoyed watching all his employees suffer, but I was the one he took particular pleasure in tormentin'. So if there was anything I liked, anything I cared about...he’d take it from me. And yeah, he has teasingly threatened to serve Nuggz up as dinner more than once if I misbehaved. So having someone I cared about really made him smile. When Cherri came into my life, I didn’t want her to know...I didn’t need her involved because she’d only get hurt. We had been besties for a good number of years before she started to notice some things were going on. Eventually, she pulled me aside and demanded to know what was happenin' because she knew something was going on at my job. That’s when I finally told her about all the abuse that had been taking place. She was horrified and immediately wanted to get me out of Val's clutches. 

The only reason I’d stop her was that Valentino did not take losing credibility lightly, and anything that pissed him off he’d take out on me. I knew from experience that if she acted against him he’d possibly hurt or kill her as a means of spiting me. At least I wouldn't put it past him to do that. But I knew for sure, he’d hurt me and punish me out of principle...you know in case I was colluding with her or something. So I never let her go after him because if one of us had to get hurt in all this it was better that I was the one taking it. It's a really shitty and cowardly thing to go after someone you care about, and I didn't want to give that bastard an excuse to. 

Cherri also was the first person that really got me to question, why did I allow this shit to happen to me? Why do I put up with it? In the past, I had always used the excuse that this was how things were because that was how this world was like, that I had no choice but to do it. But that's also why I fought Val and some of the shit heads before him. Because something in me knew this wasn’t what I wanted my life to be. I guess that’s what attracted him when he first laid eyes on me, he saw me as something he felt he could control...something he wanted to break into submission. I’d been broken decades ago...and I sometimes had given in to the ‘just let ‘em do what they want’ way of think'n, but I just refused to let it all destroy me.”

“Oh my god!” Charlie let out a cry of horror when he had finished.”Angel...I...I don’t know what to say.” She had felt there was something that wasn’t happy with what he was doing in his life. But she never knew how unhappy he really was. Given all this, it was a wonder he was even sane given how long this had been taking place, even for demons...there had to be a breaking point. 

“So when we met you,” Vaggie inquired “You were offering yourself on the street because…”

“It’s one of the things Val expects me to do,” Angel growled bitterly. “You honestly think I’d be out there because I actually like the taste of some rando’s dick in my mouth. Trust me, honey, you’ve been doing this for several years they all start tasting the same. What's even worse is how much Val stiffs me in all this. The shoots, the shows, the performances, they usually net about fifty to a hundred grand each, serving as an escort for a private function or servicing exclusive clients, that’s around ten-grand a night. Out of all of that...all of that! I typically earn about 1% tops maybe 0.5% depending on how generous Val is feelin'. When there’s nothing on the schedule, Val needs me to do something aside besides hanging out at the studio just for the “fun” of it. So he has me out turning tricks on the street. On a good night, I’d make about a few thousand, on slower nights maybe about five hundred if I’m lucky, most of which of course goes to Val. 

The day I met you two...I had been scheduled for a film shoot. And I had overheard Val talkin' about a drug deal going on with some shitty cartel and he needed someone to handle it. You see...most don’t know this about me but I’m kinda connected to crime. Not just to Val and shitbags like him...I do literally have family connections to well a crime family. I was never interested in that lifestyle, but that was the world I was raised and exposed to when I had been alive. But I thought it didn't seem like such a big deal, I knew how these kinds of transactions went, and if I was gonna be stuck with him I could show him there was more to me than just being a two-bit whore. So I took the chance to tap into my Mafia roots and prove myself. Unfortunately, but Val found out what I was up to and wasn’t too happy about it. So as punishment he had me offerin’ myself on the street to make up for the work I missed.``

“So we found you purely by chance,” Vaggie stated. 

“Maybe it was chance,” Angel sighed and opened his mismatched eyes again, though they remained focused introspectively on the floor. “The truth is I had been wanting to leave Val for a while. As I had told you, Cherri’s been wanting to get me out...she would love it if she could do that. And a couple of years before I met Cher...I actually did try to run for it. I had been holding on to what earnings so I could save up for a bus trip to another city in Hell. I didn’t care where I wound up, it could have been Imp City for all I cared. Just so long as it was far away from Val. Unfortunately, the boss kinda has eyes everywhere. Resources, associations, things like that. So as you can possibly imagine I was pulled off the bus, and was smacked around by Val until I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was tied down to a metal table and was given this gold tooth here.” Angel pointed a finger at the single gold fang. "Val told me it was to mark me as personal property and to remind me of what happens if I do stupid stuff like trying to escape. That’s why Vox being here bothered me... you see Val does know about this place and that I had agreed to be a part of all this. If I did anything that was honest since meeting you Charlie...it was that, because that was a choice I made on my own. I mean the whole pitch about demon redemption and all that...it was...far fetched. Still, after I got out of the car following our talk, I actually had this feeling I haven’t had in ages...a feeling of hope. A belief that I’d finally be free from Val and everything associated with him. Since he knows I’m here, Val has been sorta grillin’ me to make sure I’m not tryin’ to run for it again. I’ve been tell’n him that I’ve been foolin’ the two of you into believing that I'm being good just so I have a rent-free space to live in. He’s buyin’ it...sort of or at least keep'n tabs to make sure I’m doing exactly what I’ve been saying I’m doing. And he's probably assume'n this whole thing will fail since he would be more of a problem if he does get the notion that redemption is possible.”

“And he’s not going to let you go easily in either case.” Vaggie sighed. 

“I ain’t saying I’m not a good choice for all this,” Angel stated. “But I do come with a lot more baggage than you girls probably expected. And if...if this continues...you should be warned that sooner or later Val is gonna come looking for me. And he could burn this entire hotel down if that’s what it takes. If that’s too much of a risk...I can leave, save you the trouble of me bringing disaster upon you. But now you two know what’s been goin’ on.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Angie,” Cherri called out rushing into her best friend’s arms when she saw him finally leaving the manager's office. “Are they…? Are you…?”

“Nothing’s decided yet,” Angel said. “I told them about what’s been going on with Val, and that my being here will cause problems going forward. The two of them need to decide among themselves they feel needs to be done.” Alastor hummed to himself from where he sat at the bar swirling a snifter of cognac. He did eye the two demons as though waiting for a drama to unfold.

“So you’re still here for tonight,” Cherri said, feeling relieved that Angel wasn’t being kicked out. She wasn’t angry with Charlie and her friend. If they had thrown Angel Dust out indiscriminately, then yeah she would have left a few presents to let them know they had been added to her shit list. But the fact that Charlie and Vaggie were open to hearing Angel’s side of the story and were at least going to consider it before making any decisions. That meant they wanted to have some idea of what was going on before they came to any conclusions. Placing a hand on Angel’s shoulder she guided him upstairs towards his room.

“It’s nice to have made my acquaintance with the Bonnie to your Clyde,” Alastor stated. Angel gave a small snort of laughter at Alastor’s attempt at a compliment while it was almost flattering to be compared to the legendary duo of wild criminal lovers that headed the Barrow Gang. Their exploits did lead to the creation of the FBI and a rather unfortunate outcome.

“I’d be careful comparing Cherri and me to those two,” Angel said, giving a sly smirk. “Things didn’t end all that well for them. If memory serves, the two of them were shot to death in a police ambush in 1934.” Husk gave an amused laugh at the grimace that spread across Alastor’s face as it blushed a flustered shade of red.

* * *

Charlie was beside herself after Angel had left the office after he had finished his story. She didn’t even know where to even begin, it just felt so overwhelming. When she had originally had planned out this hotel as a rehabilitation center, she had thought it would be so simple. Just encourage demons to stop being sinful and learn how to be better people and maybe...maybe Heaven would be able to accept them. But this...this was a whole lot more than she expected. 

She had wanted so much to gather Angel into her arms. Tell him how sorry she was that this was what he had experienced, that she wished she had found him sooner, that she had come up with this hotel sooner. But it was already taking a lot for him to admit all this to them as it was. And to graciously offer to leave if it meant sparing them and everyone else at the hotel out of the dangers that follow him. Even Vaggie was rendered speechless at that. Both of them knew he wasn’t admitting any of this because he was being selfless or because he trusted them. He was doing it because they had to know...and it was better to have things in the open now vrs having them revealed once things became too problematic. 

Vaggie came over and ran her hand over her girlfriend's back. The gray-skinned girl wasn’t fighting back tears like Charlie was, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t affected by everything Angel had told them.

“I was wrong,” Charlie said emotion thick in her chest. 

“You weren’t wrong Charlie,” Vaggie said. “Okay, perhaps seeking redemption is more complicated than just agreeing to rectify your behavior. But isn't that why we needed a test subject for this project.”

“But still…” Charlie said. “This changes a lot of things. It shows that I don’t know or understand those I see as my subjects...I don’t know my people as well as I think I do. I mean I know there are demons in Hell who are not good people and don’t want to change. I get that...if the world was free of sin there would be no reason for Hell to exist. Still, there are so many others who were good people...maybe not completely good. But they weren’t monsters. It’s those people I want to help...it’s those souls who hold regrets for their actions or feel they were brought to this world unfairly. They are the ones I feel deserve a second chance to prove they are worthy of Heaven.” 

"Even if you had been aware that redemption was complicated,” Vaggie pointed out. “Do you honestly think he would have just told you about all that was going on? He didn’t even tell Cherri about any of this. The only reason she knows anything is that she figured out that something was going on and demanded that he tell her. He also said Valentino has eyes everywhere, so even if you hadn’t revealed he was a patron of this hotel. He would eventually have found here regardless of how he tried to prevent that. He knew danger would follow him if he did this.”

“Maybe…” Charlie sighed. “The one thing I know for sure is I can’t have him leave. Keeping him here isn’t possible because that would bring Valentino here looking for him. Still...he is a patron of this Hotel, and by him agreeing to be here I made him a promise that I would help him in any way possible. I still feel I owe him that much. I just wish I knew what I should do.” 

“We’ve been through a lot,” Vaggie suggested. “And we have a lot to process. Why don’t we have some dinner made and approach everything in the morning?”

* * *

There was no talking as the two of them arrived in the room. Angel seemed to emotionally crumble as he sat down on the bed his two-colored eyes staring into space 

“Will you be alright?” Cherri asked in concern. 

“This is the first time…” Angel said as he rubbed at his eyes. “This is the first time I’ve actually gone out and told someone what’s been going on.”

“I know it was hard doing this,” Cherri said as her mouth spread into a smile. “But they did need to know the truth. It’s better that they heard it from you now, before things happen and I have to tell them everything you can’t bring yourself to say.”

“That don’t get me out of the studio though,” Angel exhaustedly sighed. “I still need to keep up appearances there...otherwise Val’s gonna come here looking for me and he will be in the mood to skin me alive.” Cherri settled next to him placing a hand on his back. Letting him know she was there if he needed her. He acquiesced by leaning his head onto her shoulder, but still didn’t give into tears. He wasn’t afraid of breaking down in front of her. Cherri was the only person he trusted to that degree. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel like shit because he needed to cry in front of anyone, though that was likely the New York tough-guy persona that he liked to put on talking. He was used to the name-calling and taunts such as slut, fag, lanky-filly, whore...it didn’t bug him because he had learned to tune them out. He was used to the rebukes. But still Val’s words the one time he had managed to see tears form in his eyes.

 _“I like seeing you in tears, Angel Cakes, it makes you look so breakable. Tears also make you look like the little bitch that you are. You don't cry when you are fucked! They don't pay for tears! You smile and enjoy it like a good little whore._ ” Angel had refused to allow anyone to see his tears ever since. It didn’t matter if he was alone in his room and didn’t have to worry about Val or whoever seeing him cry. It felt like he was giving them the satisfaction of knowing they got to him. Like he was accepting they had succeeded in breaking him. That was why he only allowed his tears to fall when he was in the shower wherever he called home. While he knew he was crying. He could still make himself believe it was just the warm water of the shower running down his face and not the bitter salted liquid flowing out of eyelids. 

The only time he had openly cried in front of Cherri the two had been sharing a bottle of wine at his old apartment. Cherri had come over as someone he could vent to about his work life and how Val was giving him a hard time. What he didn’t tell her was that Val had assaulted him in the limo that day. It wasn’t a full-on rape, fortunately. The taller demon had only forcibly kissed him along with a lot of groping, and not so subtle promises of what would occur later. 

During their conversation, a single tear had slipped unbidden down his cheek. He had brushed it away, but not in time to prevent Cherri from seeing it. More tears quickly followed the first and refused to stop. Cherri didn’t say anything as he felt all the pent up pain and frustration crash into him. She hadn’t pulled him into a hug or anything that she believed he would take as physically intrusive, but she had tried to comfort him by lightly taking hold of his arm when he had rolled away onto his side so he wasn’t facing her in this state of shameful helplessness. He had spent the rest of that evening curled in a ball with the heels of hands pressed painfully against his eyes, mentally cursing the ceaseless tears as they flowed all the while spitting out more than a few Italian cusses at this display of weakness. Cherri continued to remain his silent companion, as she lay down on her back next to him. One hand resting on his spine to let him know she was there. The yellow x-shaped pupil of her single red eye watching him with pained concern. 

That had been the only time he had cried in front of someone. He was grateful it was Cherri who had been with him and not a random John or one of his exclusive clients.

"Will you be okay here by yourself for a bit,” Angel moved his head from off her shoulder allowing Cherri to get up. “I’ll go let your housemates know that I’m here, they don’t need any more surprises today.”

“Yeah,” Angel said as he tiredly slumped over so he was sprawled across the bed. His head resting against the pillow. “It’s not like I’m going to go very far the rest of the night.”

* * *

“So is it true?” Summer asked as the three of them got ready in the dressing room. 

“Is what true?” Angel asked the female cat demon as he got into costume. He was slipping into a frilly pink peasant blouse and short pleated skirt. They were doing another film shoot. In this film, Angel was playing the role of a naughty "schoolgirl" who had been caught entertaining sexual congress with one of his schoolmates. So the principal had called him to his office to receive some “discipline”. 

“Is it true that you’re leaving?” Dia asked. The red-skinned succubus's sultry eyes watching him intently. “Val was talking to Vox about overhearing you say you’ve been wanting to leave for a while.” A chill ran down Angel’s spine. Those had been words he had said to Charlie when he had told them what was happening to him a couple of nights ago.

“ _The truth is I had been wanting to leave Val for a while._ ” But how could he have heard that? Could it be Vox spying on them, or Velvet...both? Vox did control a number of companies including the one connected to their Hellphones, computer systems, and security. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to have bugged either Angel’s phone, hacked into the security cameras to spy on them. Heck, his visit the other day could have been just a distraction so a wiretap could be put in. Even though Vox himself was aware of the abuse Valentino put his star performers through and participated in these abuses himself. The T.V. Demon was ironically also a victim of Val’s abuse, which often led to conflicts in their relationship. Then there was Velvet. He didn’t know much about who she was other than she was an Overlord, connected to Val and Vox, and she dabbled in social media. Still, he didn’t believe she needed much motivation to have a doctor a recording or a photo to please her “dad’s” by causing a scandal.

“No, I’m not leavin',” Angel firmly said. The door to the dressing room opened slightly.

“Places in ‘ten’, Angel” A stage-hand called knocked before calling through the door.

“Be right there,” Angel called back to let him know he understood he was needed on set, before turning his attention to the tan-furred cat demon and red-skinned succubus. “Look, I’ll clear it up with Val later today.”

* * *

Cherri had just finished unpacking her stuff in the hotel and settled down onto her new bed. Angel was right, it wasn’t much but the space was good. At least she didn’t need to pay rent, so that was a plus...and her best friend lived a few doors down from her so they were practically next-door neighbors.

Speaking of Angel, while she was proud that he had spoken to Charlie and Vaggie about everything that was going on. That still didn’t change much. Charlie had informed him the next day that he was welcome to stay at the hotel if he desired, it was to be fair the safest place he could be. The four of them had discussed ideas and solutions about what to do going forward. Which didn’t lead to much, unfortunately. 

All suggestions of Angel leaving the studio either by requesting an extended vacation or taking a break from the studio for a while were automatically off the table. Val agreed to everything that Angel was requested to participate in, it was all money to him. So he called the shots, besides he had already given his star performer two-days off. Val would rip him into pieces if he asked for more time. 

Sick leave also wasn’t an option since he had them working even with Hell's variation of the Norovirus. And it would be a little too convenient for Angel to call in sick so soon after a day off. 

Charlie wisely didn’t suggest contacting Valentino and trying to explain why she needed Angel. It was obvious to anyone he was not the sort of person to be reasoned with. He only spoke and understood two languages, money and violence. If he couldn’t get money, he answered with violence. And it was for that same reason, Angel couldn’t just 'not' show up. He had to keep up appearances there to keep Valentino from suspecting anything. Though something seemed to tell him that Val didn’t just suspect, he knew Angel was trying to escape. The only reason he wasn’t punishing the porn star was that he was toying with him, trying to see how far Angel would take this. He wanted to see when Angel would try to run, so he could be there when it happened.

“Knock knock,” Charlie said lightly knocking her fist against the door. She was maintaining her usual chipper attitude, but it felt more subdued than it usually was. “How are you finding your room?”

~She’s worried about him, too~ Cherri mentally smiled in appreciation. 

“It’s comfortable,” Cherri stated. “Cosier than my old apartment, but at least I’m closer to Angie.”

“You love him…don’t you,” Charlie said as she sat down next to the bomber girl. The female-cyclops nodded as she closed her single eye, a sad smile forming on her face.

“I care about him, yes,” Cherri admitted. “He’s like an older brother to me...I mean I do love him more as a brother but I know he wouldn’t love me in that way.. And I’m fine with that...I just want him to be happy and I know there is probably someone out there in Hell who could honestly love him. You’ve probably noticed he’s kind of messed up when it comes to relationships because almost every guy he meets either bed's him or hurts him. While he is suspicious and stand-offish to anyone who wants to be friendly to him. I don’t think he even knows a loving relationship is anymore. But just thinking about what that monster does to him, what he forces him to do, I...It hurts me...” Cherri put a hand to her face to catch a sob as her shoulders shook. Charlie caringly wrapped an arm around the other girl's shoulders. 

“If Angie would allow me to,” Cherri continued “I’d shove a grenade so far up Valentino’s ass that I could reach down his throat and rip out the pin. I literally want to strap him to a nuke and throw him into an active volcano. I know he’s dangerous and Angie wants to protect me from him...but I...I don’t care. What I care about is what he’s going through. If I can spare him that I would…Sorry to sound like a sappy YA novel, but I would give my life for him if I needed to. One of the things we do when we engage in fights is we look out for each other in everything because that is how much we mean to one another. Silly huh...demons protecting each other. I want to protect and defend him from what Valentino is doing, because I know if our roles were reversed he’d do the same for me. But he’s just too proud to admit he needs help and I’m worried that it might be too late.”

“It’s never too late,” Charlie said reassuringly. “Angel knows Valentino better than you or I do, so he knows how dangerous he can be. But I know there has to be a solution to get him out of Valentino’s hands, even if it’s only temporarily, our main goal is to get him away from the studio and away from Valentino. The rest is to be determined.”

“Thank you,” Cherri smiled leaning against Charlie.

* * *

“Val,” Angel called out his boss's name in a measured tone. “What’s this I hear about you spreading rumors about me leaving?”

“Angel Cakes,” Valentino purred the name dangerously. “You know me well enough to know I have eyes and ears everywhere. You think I wouldn’t notice that your girly-friend has conveniently joined that happy little family of housemates you appear to be surrounding yourself with.”

“I’m not her fucking keeper,” Angel attested “What she does is up to her.

“Maybe so Angel dear,” Valentino said as he stood up. “But rememberthe more people you come to know and surround yourself with. The more who will be taken from you, the more who will betray you and abandon you when you no longer matter. Remember all those decades where it was just you alone before that bomber girl blaster her way into your life. Everyday having to crawl, beg, starve, and fuck in order to get by on the streets of the city. You want to go back to that...or do you want to go crawling back to daddy dearest? I’m sure the Don would love seein’ his bitch-assed grandson again. You know as well as I that you don’t hold any winning cards in this little game you and I are playing. Your only choices are to play out your hand until you lose, or fold and end your participation.” Before Angel could react the Moth had lunged forward grabbing a hold of Angel’s jacket. The porn star gasped in pain as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. 

“NOW!” Valentino snarled venomously. “LISTEN UP YOU SCRAWNY, GARBAGE-MOUTHED, SNIVELING, LITTLE GUTTER RAT! YOU ARE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR, I MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE! I OWN YOU! IF IT WASN’T FOR ME, YOU’D BE STILL AT THAT CASINO SUCKING OFF COCKS FOR CHUMP CHANGE! I’D EXPECT YOU TO BE MORE GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING I’VE DONE FOR YOU!” The moth threw Angel Dust to the floor before planting one heeled boot into the center of the smaller demon's spine, painfully threatening to perforate Angel’s spinal cord. 

“Instead all I get from you is sass talk,” Valentino growled. “Backtalk, resistance, and disobedience you ungrateful little bitch! You better hope you do exactly what I tell you to do...from here on. No sass...no complaints...” Angel let out a cry of pain as Val pressed his boot harder into his spine. “Unless you want to spend the next month in that special room...the special room I keep only for...you!”


	7. Chapter 7

Angel sighed as he sat at the bar, not really drinking the glass of whiskey he had ordered when he got home. Normally he didn’t go for hard spirits such as this, he’d normally partake in a glass of wine or a cocktail now and again. But today was one of the days where he really felt like he needed a stiff drink. Vaggie looked like she was about to object, but Charlie just placed a hand on her girlfriend’s arm and shook her head to indicate that was not a good idea. 

Cherri had caringly wrapped an arm around her best friend’s shoulders. But didn’t press if he was having problems at work. Some things she knew he had to deal with on his own, but that didn’t mean they didn’t worry her. 

Much of the hotel had gone off to bed for the night leaving Husk to tend to the bar. Angel just quietly sat just gazing into the tumbler glass of rich amber liquid as though hoping an answer would appear in its depths. 

“You know…” Husk grumbled somewhat sympathetically. “I don’t envy you, kid. Running with Valentino like you are. I know enough about his reputation to know he’s one tough customer.” Angel’s shoulders slumped tiredly. 

“I just want all this to end,” Angel said softly before taking a sip of the whisky letting the alcohol burn as it went down his throat. The older cat demon regarded the younger demon with what could be regarded as sympathy. He had died in a much later time then the Angel had and had experienced much more of the world over his years of being alive. But he could sympathize with the need to run from a problem you can never escape. 

“I’m not one to judge…” Husk said as he put down the bar rag he had been cleaning a glass with. “But...you’re not going to find the answer to your problems at the bottom of a glass of alcohol. I know, because I’ve tried that myself.” Angel just rounded his shoulders he wasn’t in the mood for a lecture from anyone right now. 

“Hey, I don’t know what sort of things he’s doing to you…” Husk responded. ”And I don’t want to know ‘cause it’s not my business. But I’ve been through and seen numerous shit shows myself. I’ve seen people try to earn a living through gambling and various other vices. And I’ve seen people come back from war, more messed up than when they left.”

“You served?” Angel asked. “During the war?”

“I’m not a vet or anything,” Husk said. “But yeah I have some involvement in the government. And yeah, I’ve seen much of the shit people were put through during that time. Niffty was just a kid when she was in the internment camps, and you probably have horror stories of your own.”

“Oh yeah,” Angel gave a sarcastic hiss. “I just loved being forced to declare I was an enemy alien of a country I was born in. As if I didn’t get enough shit grow’n up just cause Pops was from Naples.”

“I gather when you say Naples, you aren’t meaning Florida.” Husk commented, earning a sour dark eye pointed in his direction. “Calmati, era uno scherzo. (Calm down, it was a joke.)

“Non l'ho trovato divertente (I didn't find it funny)” Angel answered back in Italian. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Husk responded. “I’ve seen a lot of shit done to people of all kinds. And I’ll admit there were times I just wanted to give up, sit back with a bottle in my hand and just...watch the world as it burned. Even after WW2...I just wanted to give up on humanity altogether and just drink all my problems away. Unfortunately...all booze or drugs can do is just dull the pain...gives it a brief sense of relief...but it never really makes it go away.” Angel sighed through his nose as he returned his gaze down into the glass of alcohol before him. 

“So tell me…” Husk stated. He wasn’t one for paternal advice and he didn’t have any sort of fondness for the porn star. But he did get the feeling there was some sort of unconscious need...a longing for a father's guidance that the younger demon seemed to require. “You have any family that you know of here in Hell?”

“Unfortunately...” Angel replied as he rubbed at his temples still looking into the glass of Whiskey. “Most of my family members are here, but, I’m not on familial terms with ‘em anymore. They’re with the mob, so obviously they would have ended up in Hell..My father and brother in particlar” Husk’s brow quirked up at that unprompted statement but said nothing otherwise. Finishing the glass of whiskey, Angel reached into his coat for his purse to pay Husk for the drink. Only for the cat demon to place a hand on top of his. 

“Don’t get used to this…” Husk stated. “But this one’s on the house.” Angel raised an eye-brow at the Demon-cat. He was the sort of person who wouldn’t let you near the bar until you’ve paid off your tab. 

“Hey, hey, hey, “ Husk said defensively. “I’m only letting you have this one, cause you need it. Don’t start getting crazy ideas and thinking I like you or anything ‘cause I don’t. Even if I did like you, I’ve lived enough years to be old enough to be your dad.”

“Whatever…” Angel said flippantly as he got up, still leaving a couple of bucks on the bar top anyway and heading for the stairs. “Well have a good night.” Husk picked up the money and noticed that Angel had left a one and a five-dollar bill. The cat put the one in the till, but the five he set aside. 

~His father and older brother are part of the mob…~ Husk thought to himself. ~Could he...could he be related to Henroin?~

* * *

Angel could feel the familiar buzz of his phone announcing his schedule for the next day. Pulling it out of his jacket pocket he glanced it over before he put his phone away again. Breathing in he let out an exhale, a tactic he often did to prepare himself for a performance. 

“Angel…” glancing up he saw Charlie standing several feet away. She was dressed in a light dusty pink nightgown that traveled down to the ankles of her bare feet. She appeared so soft and demure in this state, a much different from the authoritative appearance her manager's attire gave off. She also didn’t have her customary cheerful smile, but she did smile at him all the same.“I never took the time to thank you.”

“For?” Angel asked as she approached. 

“For telling me and Vaggie about what’s been going on,” She said. Her bright cheerful eyes softened by concern. “That had to have been really difficult, explaining years of pain to two people who are practically strangers.”

“It was better you heard it from me…” Angel sighed, glancing away sadly as though all this was a secret shame that he didn’t like to dwell on. “Then learnin’ about it later when Val comes lookin’”

“But...nobody deserves to go through any of that..even in Hell,” Charlie said lightly taking hold of the lapel of his Valentino jacket. The action wasn’t hostile, but it did startle him enough to return his attention to her. Her eyes had turned tearful as they gazed up into his pinkish-red irises. “You certainly don’t deserve any of that...you never did.”

“How can you be so sure,” Angel asked as he gently removed her hand from his lapel, and started away towards his room. 

“I know you feel you’re a sinner, Angel,” Charlie said with conviction. “But when I see you I don’t see a sinful soul. I see...I see a good-hearted being who is lost and doesn’t know where to turn.”

“Is that why you felt I was suitable for redemption?” Angel paused and glanced behind him so the darker of his mismatched eyes regarded her. Not with anger or suspicion but more questioningly.”You never really answered the question I asked you in the car when we first met, Why me?”

“Oh…” Charlie said, trying to come up with an answer. Because honestly, she didn’t know how to explain it herself why she felt he was suitable to be the first test subject for redemption. “I knew from the moment I first saw you that there was something good in you, and I had a feeling you would listen.” Angel’s brow quirked slightly as though unsure of the blond girl's explanation, before turning and starting again towards his room.

“Wait,” Charlie said, getting Angel to pause again this time he regarded her with his white eye. “I know you’ve been hurt by people in the past and it’s hard for you to open yourself to others, I understand that. And I know I'm not someone you trust as a friend...at not to the same extent as Cherri, and I’m aware I haven’t gotten to know you as well as she does. But I’d like to be someone you can learn to trust as a friend, I’ve certainly come to think of you as one.” 

* * *

_“Wait…what are you... stop!” Angel protested as he felt himself being pinned against the wall. He didn’t know where Valentino had brought him or why. He had just pulled him from the car into some office building, up an elevator and into what looked like some cheesy penthouse suite. After closing and locking the door to a tacky-looking bedroom , the larger demon had sloughed off the red jacket he wore and hung it up on the coat rack. And then he had shoved him into the corner. One arm was pinned overhead against the wall by one of Valentino’s while both of his lower arms were pinned by Val’s second set. His only free arm was trying to push the other demon away from him._

_"I paid good money for you,” Valentino smirked as he took hold of Angel’s chin. “You think I’m not gonna inspect and try out my new property. If I’m gonna make you into a star, I need to see what sort of fuck you can offer people.”_

_"Vai a succhiare la fica di tua madre e muori, fottuto bastardo,” (Go suck your mothers cunt and die you, fucking bastard) Angel snarled in Italian. Valentino only laughed in amusement._

_“Yeah, they did warn me you’d be a feisty one,” Valentino smirked. “Fortunately, I have ways of changing that. Now relax, Sugar, I’m gonna give you a good time. Probably the best time you’ve ever had.” Forcibly he pressed his mouth against Angel’s, squeezing the smaller demon's jaw to have him open it enough to roughly force his tongue inside._

_"Oh man...Angel Cakes. You taste delicious,” Val said as he pressed himself against Angel’s body. Removing his hand from Angel’s face he reached down grabbing hold of one of Angel’s legs and hooking it around his waist. “You feel that...you feel how hard you make me. I’m gonna have so much fun with you”_

_"No…” Angel groaned in discomfort as the larger demon started grinding his hardening manhood against him. Digging his sharp-clawed fingers into the larger demons shoulder. The blue-skinned demon had moved to licking and sucking along Angel Dust’s neck._

_“Damn, Sweetheart.” Valentino gave a groan of pleasure. “You smell like strawberries...I fucking love...Strawberries.” Angel’s head was resting against Val’s shoulder now. His mismatched eyes burned with rage as he sank his fang-like teeth into the taller demons shoulder._

_“You son of a bitch!” The moth demon snarled as he moved away, backhanding Angel across the face hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. He breathed angrily as he clutched at the bleeding wounds. Examining it there were some puncture marks made in the silk vest and dress shirt beneath. Angel had clambered to a defensive kneeling position and was prepared to fight._

_“You’re just full of surprises ain’t ya, Sugar,” Valentino said. “I’m gonna make you regret...doing that.” Valentino reached out to grab hold of the scrawnier demon but paused as his vision blurred and swam as a wave of weakness passed over him. “Wha...what did you do to me?”_

_“I’m a spider,” Angel growled as he got to his feet. Wiping the back of his arm across his mouth before spitting some blood-tinged saliva on the floor. “Take a fuckin’ guess!”_

_“You...you…” Valentino blinked. He wasn't dying...but he did feel himself starting to feel ill. The effeminate spider was rounding his way towards the door all the while his clawed fingers were bared ready to take on Valentino in a fight if he had too. Reaching the door, Angel had flicked the lock open and was out the door and racing for the elevator. Hurriedly he pressed the down button._

_“Come on, come on…” Angel said frantically stabbing the button as though that would cause the elevator car to arrive faster. Glancing about for a stairwell, a fire escape, anything he could use to get out of here. All the while glancing at the door down the hall trying to see if his captor was going to come after him. The door to the elevator finally chimed, unfortunately, it was to be greeted with the screen faced smirk of Vox before a hard punch was delivered to his solar plexus, and everything went dark._

*************************************************************************************************************

_He was groggy as he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on a dank concrete floor locked in a darkened room. Though it should more appropriately be called a cell. The only things in the room were a queen size futon mattress, a couch, dresser, and a small table and chair. A curtainless shower and toilet stood in the corner of the room._

_What really got Angel’s attention however were the chains. Beside the futon, there were sets of shackles prepared for multi-limbed occupants. More chains and shackles hung against the walls of the ceiling. His jacket had been removed at some point when he had been out so the only clothing he currently had on were his thigh-high boots, short black skirt, and undergarments, each of his wrists pinned to the wall by wrist restraints. Val and his buddy must have figured out or found out how to get to the limbs that he was able to retract into his body._

_In another corner of the room was the blinking red light of a camera, so if they didn’t know if he was awake yet they would soon enough. The only entrance to the room was a magnetically sealed door and there weren’t any windows which meant this place wherever it was could be underground. He had no idea how long he had been in here, it couldn’t have been too long._

_“Morning, Angel Cakes,” Val’s voice called over a speaker system. He still sounded woosy but then again depending on how much venom was delivered and who it was delivered to, the effects could last from a few days to a little over a week. “How you liken’ your new accommodations? You’re in what I call “The Special Room”, this room is for ‘problematic whores’._

_“Vaffanculo a te e ai tuoi antenati bastardi! (Fuck you and your bastard ancestors!)” Angel growled. Which only made Valentino laugh as though amused._

_“Yeah, that is going to be one of the first things I’ll be fixing with you,” Valentino remarked. “I don’t know what the fuck you are saying, but I know it’s gotta be filthy. Get yourself comfortable...cause you’re gonna be in there for a while.”_

*************************************************************************************************************

_How long had it been since he had been locked in this room? Days...a week...there wasn't any sort of way to tell time. His stomach gurgled in hunger…as a demon he couldn’t die again...not unless the exorcists got him. But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel pain, or hunger, or other things that made him wonder if he was going to die a second time._

_His throat was parched and his tongue felt dry and papery in his mouth. If Valentino came in to rape him he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance, it’s not like he could do much pinned to the wall as he was._

_There was the sound of the locking mechanism opening. Valentino sauntered in his grin leering down the helpless spider before him. He just salivated at the delicious irony of it: a spider...a known predator in the insect kingdom was the prisoner of a creature that would have normally been its prey. There were some Spider Demons who had been known to have cannibalistic tendencies and devour other demons, but that, fortunately, wasn't the case with this one. That venom bite was only a defense tactic...if he truly was predatory his venom would certainly have been something more to worry about aside from being woozy and weak to the point of needing bed rest for a day._

_Putting a bag of something on the table. The moth turned and approached his prisoner, gently cupping Angel’s chin, though he took care to make sure his hand was nowhere in biting range._

_“Now, you aren’t planning on biting me again...are you sweet thing?” The moth leered down. He liked the listless glaze that had filmed over Angel’s eyes, and dark rings around the spots under the boy's eyes due to lack of comfortable sleep. But he could still see a flame of defiance burning within the bright pink orbs…that was good...it still meant there was some fight left. Otherwise, he may as well be fucking the brains out of a lifeless doll which would make the money he spent on him worthless. Angel only let out a slight hiss and tucked his legs closer to his body._

_“Don’t be like that,” Valentino cooed. “I’m not gonna hurt you...You’ve been locked up here for three days now, Sugar. I know you’ve gotta be starving. See that bag on the table...those are some nice pastries I got just for you...fresh from the bakery. But they come with a catch...you gotta let me try you out...before I can let you have those. I do need to know what sort fuck you can offer...before I can market you as a star performer. Now be a good boy...”_

_Valentino was on him instantly like before he was kissing, licking, and suckling at his neck. One hand grabbed hold of his chin to keep him from making any more attempts at trying to bite him. While Val’s other hand combed through the fluff on the scrawnier demon's chest. The two lower arms had grabbed hold of Angel’s hips pulling him forward causing the spider to start to let out a grunt of discomfort as he felt his spine and arm muscles protest as they felt themselves being stretched to an unnatural angle. The moth's red eyes glowed as he smiled a leering red grin. One hand reached under Angel’s skirt and yanked down his undergarments and tossed them aside._

_The feeling of a hot mouth and long slimy black tongue traced along his inner thighs was accompanied by the sound of a zipper being drawn._

_“No...please.” Angel started to protest. His voice was so dry his words only came out as a ragged whisper. Angel felt his skirt being pushed upwards as one leg was placed over Valentino’s shoulder. “N..NO!” Angel tried to protest more forcefully. “Don’t…”_

_“Don’t what, Sugar,” Valentino asked with an evil grin. “Don’t do this?” Angel let out a strangled cry of pain as Valentino forcefully shoved himself inside him and began to thrust. “Damn...your ass is so tight. If I didn’t know you’ve been fucked by guys before, I’d swear this would be your first time.”_

_Angel felt tears spring to his eyes as he felt himself being raped by the larger demon. The thrusts were becoming harder, longer, more forceful until there was one final thrust that crescendoed with a hot explosion as Val came inside his body. He winced as he felt Val’s dick being removed._

_“I was right about you,” Val said as he tucked himself back into his trousers and zipped himself up. “You give a fuck that people would pay good money for. You’ll be using your body to make me very, very, rich.” Angel’s shoulders shook with humiliation at everything that had happened as he was repositioned so he was sitting against the wall again. And gasped as his face was seized in the grip of a black hand and yanked upward so he was looking directly into Valentino’s glowing red eyes and leering grin._

_"I like seeing you in tears, Angel Cakes, it makes you look so breakable." The smile turned into an angry frown as the hand holding Angel’s chin grabbed a firm hold of the fur that served as Angel’s hair and painfully yanked it. "Tears also make you look like the little bitch that you are. You don't cry when you are fucked! They don't pay for tears! You smile and enjoy it like a good little whore. Got it!"_

_Letting him go, the moth sauntered to the bag of pastries he pulled one out and made a show off eating it, giving groans of pleasure and delight. Grabbing the bag he started for the door again._

_“And Angel...” Valentino said and teasingly waved the bag of pastries.”Consider this your punishment for ruining my favorite shirt and vest.” The door was closed and sealed again. That was day one of Angel Dust’s life as a pornstar._

* * *

Angel gasped and hurriedly sat up in bed. His eyes frantically looked about him before he felt assured that he was safe in his room at the hotel. Letting a hand tiredly run across his face he looked out the window, the sight of the studio, the clubs, the drug dens. 

To the eyes who enjoyed the pleasures of the city, it was a paradise of lights, sound, and color that never seemed to sleep. Angel still had a fondness for that world himself, hitting the clubs with Cherri and just enjoying the high life as good friends. But looking at all here...right now...it didn’t seem so fun anymore. It was an alien world where he was imprisoned. Given the years and the highlight of hearing people cheer his name, he surmised that he had blinded and deafened himself to the truth...to the knowledge of what he was really doing. He couldn’t deny or lie to himself about what he was going through...what was happening to him...what is happening to him and the others. Maybe it was only bothering him now because he was actively trying to leave it. 

Getting out of bed he walked to the window and gazed out at the jewel-like city lights. Charlie’s words from earlier rang in his ears. 

_“ Nobody deserves to go through any of that..even in Hell. You certainly don’t deserve any of that...you never did. ”_

_“ I know you feel you’re a sinner, Angel. But when I see you I don’t see a sinful soul. I see...I see a good-hearted being who is lost and doesn’t know where to turn. ”_

He supposed being what everyone else sees or believes to be the top of the world, they only see the grandeur. Being surrounded by others, the recognition, the fame. What people never saw...never understood, was how alone you really felt. You weren’t a person, you were the idea of a person, all they saw was what you did...what you were known for...what they wanted from you. 

For years he had been playing a role...a persona he showed the world. He had been playing this role so long couldn’t remember what it was like to really be himself. Even Cherri had never really met the real him...she knew who he could be, and occasionally she had seen him when he was vulnerable. But she honestly had never seen his true self. Charlie, it seemed, was the first person to see past his persona.

“ _I know you’ve been hurt by people in the past and it’s hard for you to open yourself to others, I understand that. And I know I'm not someone you trust as a friend...at not to the same extent as Cherri, and I’m aware I haven’t gotten to know you as well as she does. But I’d like to be someone you can learn to trust as a friend, I’ve certainly come to think of you as one.”_

It wasn’t just that he had been hurt by others in the past. Throughout his entire existence, he was instructed to lead a life of secrecy. A life of distrust. It was all part of the Costa Nostra. His father had pressed him into becoming part of the family, to prove himself as a made man. He proved himself unreliable as a recruit...he hadn't wanted to be part of that life. He was proud of his culture, and his family, but he wasn’t proud of the life they led. He didn’t want that kinda life and he didn’t want Molly involved in it either. Even without the mob ties, he was bad enough being mocked, teased, looked down upon by those around him or worse seen as a criminal just for the culture he was born to.

Leaning against the window frame as the sky over the city lightened in the rising dawn. He closed his eyes as a single tear fell unnoticed from his dark eye and fell to be absorbed by carpet beneath his stockinged feet.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been noticed over the last several days that Angel was becoming more and more stressed as he continued to go to the studio. Things were getting out of hand, Angel was being worn down by Val and everything the evil moth was forcing him to do.

They all knew it, they all wanted to do something...but what could they do? Angel was putting himself on the line to prevent Valentino from coming to the hotel and hurting maybe killing everyone in it. If they had him stay at the Hotel, Valentino could be there in force and wouldn’t hesitate to take Angel back at gunpoint if he had to. But they all knew Angel couldn’t keep it up forever...sooner or later he was going to break under the pressure. Or otherwise, Val could do something to force Angel to leave or prevent him from returning to the hotel altogether. 

Alastor would at times ask inquiring questions about Angel’s connection to Valentino. Such as was he in a deal with Valentino? What sort of weaknesses did Valentino have? How long ago was he put in Valentino’s possession?

All of which would only irritate the tall Spider Demon as he left. Unfortunately, when he returned, Angel was in no mood to speak to anyone. Even Cherri painfully felt she had to keep her distance. She had taken Fat Nuggets to her room to look after him since Angel would be gone so late. Occasionally everyone in the hotel would know when Angel had returned because of how loudly they would hear the door to his room slam shut. 

The Spider had not been sleeping well for some time. There were at least a few nights where they had heard him crying out in his sleep following a trauma-induced nightmare. And on top of not sleeping, he wasn’t eating either. He would only help himself to a cup of black coffee before heading out the door. At times his stomach loudly protested over the lack of sustenance. Charlie had tried to alleviate this by making sure there was something in the fridge left for him so he was able to have something when he got back. Even left a sticky note on the door to let him know there was something there for him to take. Unfortunately, these meals were barely touched if at all. The previous night Charlie had left half of a roast beef sandwich with a small cluster of grapes. Then when Charlie had come down it was only to find Angel only taken a few of the grapes but didn’t eat much else. 

Cherri hated every moment that Angel suffered due to that horrible man’s depravity. Charlie was also pained knowing that Angel was suffering as part of his job. Even Vaggie was snarling expletives in Spanish under her breath at what was going on. The three girls were currently hanging out together at one of the tables in the foyer conversing over coffee.

“Al,” Charlie inquired as the Radio Demon sauntered downstairs his usual wide grin on his face. “Couldn’t you...I don’t know... have one of your shadow minion... friend...things watch Angel. Or maybe find a way to teleport him too and from the studio.”

“I assure you I have been keeping attention on the effeminate fellow,” Alastor said. “It appears he does have some rather questionable habits that he conveniently forgot to mention.”

“What kind of habits?” Charlie asked.

“He does…” Cherri said knowing she was complicit in hiding this from her companions. “He does drugs, the one he has taken as his name mostly.”

“Why am I not surprised…” Vaggie sighed. "How many times is he going to knowingly violate the terms of his contract?”

“Maybe…” Charlie suggested.“Maybe it’s not what we think.”

“Not what we think!” Vaggie nearly grabbed Charlie’s shoulders and throttled the blond-girl. “People use drugs to get high...I don’t think there is much to consider. And you…” Vaggie turned her angry attention towards Cherri. “We let you live here and you didn’t bother letting us know about any of this bull shit.”

“He doesn’t do PCP to get high,” Cherri stated. “It’s more he uses it as a means to deal with shit going on around him. Like all the crap Valentino puts him through. It’s been something he’s been doing to get by here in Hell ever since I’ve known him. He had been surviving on his own in Hell over fourty years before I even met him. Plus the period he was from...things were drastically different from the time I first arrived.”

“Could any of you refresh my memory of when Angel died exactly?” Alastor cocked his head. “I believe it was at least a decade after me.”

“Yeah...it was sometime in the 1940’s wasn’t it?” Charlie said, trying to recall. 

“Angie is from 1947,” Cherri informed. “He was 33 years old when he passed away.”

“That might explain some of Angel’s…” Alastor commented he closed his eyes momentarily though trying to find a delicate way of putting it. “Shall we say problems? Perhaps these forms of self-medication were habits he turned to before his arrival in Hell?”

“Is there anything he’s told you about when he was alive?” Charlie asked Cherri. “Maybe there is something that can help us understand what things were like for him. Such as the Mafia, he was connected to that right?”

“Sorry no,” Cherri sighed. “He doesn’t really talk about his life, some of it he doesn’t like to think about let alone discuss. But other things he says he can’t talk about because of something.” Husk who was content to ignore the conversation and just drink his cheap booze in peace suddenly became interested. 

“This something…” Husk asked. “It didn’t start with an “O” did it?” 

“Yes,” Cherri admitted. “It’s like Omata or…”

“Omerta.” Husk said. “I’ve seen my share of mafia types in my day, nearly was recruited by one of them. From what I know Omerta is a code of silence that all members of a mob family swear to. If a mob guy revealed anything about their mob family or family business to the police or someone unassociated there was a contract put out on ‘em.”

“But Angel had said he wasn’t interested in being a part of the Mafia.” Vaggie protested. “Now he’s got to keep an oath of silence. Seriously, more secrets and lies.”

“If he’s related to who I think he is, spider-boy would have been recruited at the very least...if at all.” Husk said. “Even if he wasn’t seen as worth their time to even do that he still would have been subjected to that oath regardless of whether he pledged or not. Any family in the mob would have kept things secret where they could. But would still let him know that he couldn’t say anything about what he knew about their family or it’s dealings, or else a hit would be put out on him.”

“I see…”Charlie sighed before biting her lip as she remembered Angel’s admission _“...most don’t know this about me but I’m kinda connected to crime. Not just to Val and shitbags like him...I do literally have family connections to well a crime family. I was never interested in that lifestyle, but that was the world I was raised in and exposed to when I had been alive.”_

“The spider mentioned that he had a father and brother in the mob some days ago.” Husk said. “I hope I’m wrong about this, but I think I may have seen them when I was frequenting a casino some years back. There is a mobster that goes by the name of Henroin, he’s often accompanied by his freakish looking son, Arackniss. Though I’ve also seen Arackniss attending to mob business on his own. Neither of them are people you want to meet in person. Arackniss in particular is a ‘Shoot first, ask questions if you’re still alive’ sort. 

“Maybe it might be better to change the subject,” Vaggie suggested uncomfortably. Angel’s unfortunate connection to Valentino already had her on edge. She didn’t need to think about what other sorts of threats could be associated with him.

“Alright, how did you girls meet Angie, anyway,” Cherri asked casually for the sake of something to occupy her mind off the worry she was feeling for her friend. 

“We met him on the street.” Charlie her normally bright friendly eyes dimmed sadly as she gazed into her coffee cup. “But given the circumstances, I wish I had thought up this hotel before he was found by Valentino. Perhaps, he would have been spared the pain he’s been going through now.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Charlie. You can’t say things would have been better for him back than or that he would have been open to listening to either of us.” Vaggie answered putting a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “But yes, we did encounter him during one of the times he was offering himself on the street.”

* * *

*Weeks Ago*

_The two girls had been traveling around the city all day trying to find someone they could convince to be their first test subject. If they could prove a single demon soul could be redeemed, it would be such a game-changer. The Annual Cleansing would be taking place in a little over two weeks from now. They had to find someone, anyone who could agree to take part in this study. If they could reach redemption the Cleansings could perhaps come to an end. Demons wouldn’t need to live in fear any more...good souls perhaps wouldn’t need to suffer eternal punishment for mistakes they made in life._

_“We’ve been trying all day, Charlie,” Vaggie said. “It’s getting late...just call it an evening and return to the Hotel.”_

_“No,” Charlie insisted. “There has to be a soul out there who would listen to us...one that believes in our cause. I know there has to be.”_

_“This city has thousands of demons,” Vaggie told her. “I want to find someone who believes in this as well...but no one been interested.” Charlie sighed in disappointment and glanced out the window in frustration. When she suddenly noticed something, a particular demon soul had caught her attention as the car drove past._

_A rather tall spider demon was standing on the street corner. The fur covering his body was pale almost whitish-pink in tone, though there were spots of rosy-pink in the shock of fur that feathered in front of his face. The Spider demon did have a rather gunt effeminate figure. He was dressed in a white and pink Valentino jacket, bright pink gloves, a short black skirt, and a pair of thigh-high boots. The fur on his chest was fluffed up in a manner that made it look like he had a pair of breasts, though it was quite obvious he was male. He was leaning against a light post. Three of his four arms were folded across his body while a third held a cigarette to his mouth. The one thing that struck Charlie most was his bright pink eyes. His right eye was white with a gentle dark pink iris, but his left eye was completely black with a single pupilless bright pink dot. Three dark pink spots appeared like two sets of uniformly placed freckles under each eye. He blew out a puff of smoke as he removed this cigarette and looked longingly up at the sky. The blond-haired girl could feel instantly in her very being that he was a good-hearted soul who just felt trapped._

_“Could you swing back to that last block?” Charlie pressed the intercom to the limo’s driver._

_“What...why,” Vaggie asked_

_“I believe we just found who we are looking for,” Charlie said with an enthusiastic smile._

_“Who...that prostitute, we just passed?” Vaggie asked confused._

_“Exactly,” Charlie said._

_“Charlie…” Vaggie rubbed her forehead as though trying to ward off a budding headache. “You do know he offers himself to...people in exchange for one thing. What makes you think that he’s what we are looking for?”_

_“Trust me, Vaggie…” Charlie insisted. “I just know he’s someone we should talk to about our hotel, besides what would it hurt to try.”_

_“Uhhh” Vaggie gave a noise of disgust. “Okay...fine…” The Spider approached the car as they drove up. He looked away momentarily as though he was trying to get into character as the window was rolled down._

_“Well hey there,” The spider said, giving a sultry greeting. His voice holding a notably thick New York accent, though the manner he spoke did suggest he had been alive somewhere around the 1940’s. Souls in Hell did tend to retain the mannerisms of the time they died much more easily than the memories of the time they had been alive “See some…? Oh…!” He paused and jumped back a couple of feet once he actually saw who was trying to pick him up. Vaggie just groaned as she brought her hand to her face. She knew something like this would happen._

_“Whoa now...” he said, making a warding off gesture of disinterest as he glanced away. “For ladies, I charge extra.”_

_“No, No, No!!!” Charlie protested. She practically was climbing out of the open car window as she tried to explain why they wanted his attention. “No. We don’t want any of that. I was wondering if we could talk to you real quick?” The spider dropped the warding gesture as he folded his main arms over his chest, regarding the blond girl with suspicion._

_“I’m on the clock, sista...” The spider stated. “Ya gotta pay if ya wanna waste my time.”_

_“Oh, yes! Sure, we can do that!” Charlie said reassuringly as she opened the door of the car for him. The brow of his white eye raised in confusion while his darker eye squinted as though trying to assess if this was something questionable before shrugging noncommitally. Due to his lanky height, he was forced to awkwardly crawl over the laps of the two girls as he got into the car, causing Vaggie to cringe in response._

_“Ya got any booze in this fancy-assed car?” The Spider inquired as he crudely sprawled himself a-long the bench seat opposite them. One of his long legs was propped against the knee of the other Not quite giving the two girls a good view up his skirt, but not exactly leaving much to the imagination either._

_“At you sure, THIS, is the one you want to talk to?” Vaggie demanded of her companion, while the Spider teasingly stuck his tongue out at her._

_“Yes.” Charlie said, knowing in her heart that she had sensed someone who would hear them out at least. The crass and childish persona he was presenting them was all an act masking a kind soul that was crying out in anguish.“He’s good, I can tell.” Vaggie regarded her girlfriend in irritation not really seeing or understanding how anything about the Spider was good._

_“So what's what?” The spider asked just wanting to hear what they were offering before he needed to get back to work. “Like I said...I’m on the clock.”_

_“Weeeeeellll” Charlie cheerfully said as she tilting her head towards Vaggie as though daring her to see if she was wrong about him being something they could trust._

_“Whats you your name?” Vaggie asked. “Mister?” The spider regarded Vaggie with some disdain before languidly laying flat on his back on the seat with his arms behind his head._

_“Angel.” The Spider flippantly responded as though insulted she didn’t know who he was. “Angel Dust- the Porn Star? I’m kinda famous here, bitch.”_

_“Was that necessary?” Vaggie demanded. Angel sat up again, both of his main hands placed down on the seat between his long legs._

_“Nah.” Smirking in delight at the fact he was being inappropriate like it was all just one private game to him. “But those words just tend to slip outta me.”_

_“My name is Vaggie, this is Charlie,” Vaggie introduced the two of them. “We-”_

_“Like vagina?!?!” Angel said aloud. Again smirking at them as though all this part of his personal amusement._

_“We have a proposition for you,” Vaggie said trying really hard not to throw him out of the car. It was obvious he wasn’t taking any of this seriously. Or had any real interest in talking to them. “Your princess, Charlie here, has repurposed one of her family's buildings into a rehabilitation center for souls like you who feel they have a chance at redemption. Our goal. Is to get one damned soul into heaven. At least one just to prove that it is possible.” This seemed to catch Angel’s interest at least for the moment, so he was listening._

_“Is it?” Angel inquired, still suspicious of what the girls were proposing._

_“We don’t know yet.” Vaggie admitted._

_“Uh huuuuh...right.” Angel said falling back into a disinterested torpor._

_“But!” Charlie said, trying to regain his attention. “We want you to be our first test subject!”_

_“Why me?” Angel asked, cocking his head inquiringly. The brow of his darker-eye raised this time. Charlie got a sense that this was a small glimpse of who he really was. He hadn’t removed the mask he wore, but he had made a conscious choice on lifting a small corner of it as though testing her. Assessing if she was someone he could trust._

_“Because you seem like,” Charlie said, trying to come up with a reason why they wanted him in particular. “Someone who regrets his life choices and would be interested in self-reflection and bettering himself.” Angel made a face that clearly said she hadn’t given an answer and obviously had no idea who she was talking to._

_“Because.” Vaggie translated “We have been talking to demons all day and nobody has agreed to it yet.” Angel let out a snort before he fell onto his back and began laughing hysterically. The two girls had been seeking sinners who would be interested in redemption and got no one who was interested. So they had to resort to talking to a sex worker of all people. A person whose entire profession revolved around sin and hedonism. The whole thing was so sad it was hilarious._

_“Look.” Vaggie explained though she had largely made up her mind that he wasn’t interested in helping them and just wanted to get the conversation over with. “You get free meals, free housing, and protection from Hell’s constant hazards. That is if you agree to attend to what activities we plan and genuinely attempt to rectify your behavior!”_

_“Sounds lame,” Angel remarked when he stopped laughing, which only made Vaggie all the more ready to strangle him. Charlie grabbed on to her girlfriend to prevent her from giving in to the urge to do so._

_“Aw!” Charlie pointed out. “You can’t tell me you enjoy standing on the side of the street waiting for someone to pay to…” The blond suddenly became flustered and embarrassed about what she was about to say. “...You know.”_

_“I don’t know,” Angel smirked wolfishly at her as though daring her to say what she was going to say. “Please finish that sentence.” Vaggie had had enough by this point. It was obvious they were just wasting their time with him._

_“Charlie,” Vaggie stated. “He’s not a good candidate. We’ll just look again tomorrow.” Unseen to the two girls, Angel seemed to have made up his mind about something as well. He wasn’t sure if he could trust these girls and he didn’t know if this would work, but if he played his cards right this could be his opportunity to out of Valentino’s clutches for good._

_“Hey!” Angel called out. “Who said I’m not a good pick. You broads don’t know me, I could be whatever I wanna be!”_

_“Then prove it!” Vaggie challenged. The moth girl and spider man glared daggers at each other momentarily._

_“I’m in.” Angel finally said, much to Vaggie’s surprise._

_“Really?” Charlie enthusiastically cheered._

_“Really?” Vaggie echoed suspiciously._

_“Yeah!” Angel stated. “I’m also three months behind on my rent, so free housin’ sounds fucking good to me. Plus, it’ll be nice not to have to suck the greasy landlord's dick every month.”_

_“Charming.” Vaggie groaned in disgust._

_“Anyways,” Angel said as he stretched out his limbs. “If that’s all, then I guess I should prob’ly get back to work today, at least. If you gals ain’t payin’ for playin’ I still need to make about-” The spider didn’t get to finish that sentence as Charlie placed a stack of money in his hands. He carded through it suspiciously; mentally calculating how much it was and verifying it was even real. “What’s is this?” He finally asked, tilting his head in confusion. The darker of his mismatched eyes seeking an explanation._

_“Money,” Charlie responded._

_“For?” Angel’s darker eye narrowed in suspicion, he usually received payment for his services and he hadn’t done anything for these girls that he was aware of._

_“Helping us!” Charlie cheerfully responded. Angel was taken aback. Charlie could sense he had decided to lift the mask again. He was still testing to see if she was someone he could trust, but he had lifted the mask farther than he had previously._

_“This is a trick.” He said, not quite understanding what he did to deserve this._

_“No.” Charlie explained. “This is an investment in you.” The blond-haired girl placed a hand on Angel’s chest and looked up into his eyes with a warm and friendly smile offering nothing but sincerity. “There’s a lot more to you than you think there is, Angel! We want to help you.” Angel really seemed to be struck by Charlie’s words and actually considered what she had said. Debating with himself questioning whether he should tell her that having him would require more than just simply changing his own behaviors. Trying to figure out how much was safe to reveal. All too soon his customary mask was put back in place._

_“Pfft...okay” He scoffed as the car came to stop. ”I mean I don’t need any help so…..yeah.” As he climbed out of the car he did lift the mask one last time. He knew he was taking a big risk by doing this and dangers unknown to the two girls would follow him if things went forward. “Okaaay....well um...thanks. We’ll be in touch, huh?”_

_“Yes, and thank you.” Charlie said, offering a hand to Angel. The two demons shaking hands at the dawn of what was a new friendship for them both. Charlie took one last look out the back window as he watched them drive off into the evening. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something with him was filled with great pain and sorrow. Something he didn’t want to reveal but knew he eventually would. She hoped she would be able to bring him out of the darkness where he was left lost alone. It will all be a long road ahead, but love and time would get his festering wounds to finally heal. Only then will redemption be possible._

* * *

Angel was sitting on the bed in the call room, his knees tucked up to his chin. He had been told he was requested by an exclusive client. So he had been brought to this room to wait for them to arrive. He focused on his breathing as the minutes ticked by. 

Valentino had been ignoring him or wasn’t monitoring him quite as much, but that didn’t mean he was letting Angel off the hook. Val was obviously planning something, you didn’t become an Overlord without being two steps ahead of everyone else. Right now he was just watching as Angel twisted in the wind. Waiting for him to drop his guard, make a mistake, do something to leave himself open to Val’s control once again. And when that happened, he would be broken for sure. He knew for certain he couldn’t hide the rapes from Cherri for much longer. 

He had been hiding them from her because it would only make her more determined to go after Val. But he hadn’t been deliberately hiding or denying they had or were occurring, if anything they should go without saying considering what he was...what he did as a profession. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to figure out that sexual assault fell under the umbrella of abuse. 

He wasn’t completely worried about Cherri; he knew she could hold her own in a fight. Even Molly when she had been alive had not been what one would classify as a helpless little girl.

Due to his born culture, the idea of family…his la Famiglia was sacred. He was raised with the concept that family was everything. It was where one belonged and provided social cohesion. They stuck together, they looked out for each other. And everybody who stepped foot into their household was seen and treated as part of the family. Unfortunately being born to a family of Mafiosi, didn’t exactly gain you many friends or even the right ones. And discovering you were homosexual on top of that...you were just as likely to be murdered as disowned. 

Cherri was someone he loved and cared for as his la Famiglia. She wasn’t Molly and she could never replace his younger twin sister. But he did view her as an adopted sister and he would rather be squashed flat by the hand of God than to let anyone deliberately hurt her. Same with the people at the Hotel, Charlie, Vaggie, and the rest, while he didn’t know them or trust them in the same way he did with Cherri. But being with them...being someone they welcomed and included as one of their own. For the first time in ages, he actually felt like he was part of a family, a real family. Certainly a better family than the one he originally had. That was not something he wanted to give up for any reason, but he still had his doubts in it. He had friends he had wanted to see as a family before and they had turned their backs on him the one moment they found something they didn’t like. He couldn’t...he wouldn’t be able to take being hurt like that again. 

While he himself didn’t really know how or why he was able to endure the horrors that Valentino had subjected to him for so many years. There has certainly been moments over the past decades where he had felt his defenses crack and shift. And he would admit to falling into the ‘just give them what they want’ mindset. Recently he had noticed the walls that he had built around himself were beginning to break. The thorns he had wrapped around his soul were beginning to fall away. But was this because of the hotel and the people he was daring to trust there? Or was it because Valentino and all his crap was finally getting to him? It was all too overwhelming.

He brought a hand to his head as he felt a wave of weakness pass over him. He had been spacing out his drug use so he didn’t let on that he was high or under the influence of anything while at the hotel. It had been what two days, maybe three since he had last used his drug stash. Dust stayed in a body's system for eight days, and already he could feel his own crying out for more. It wanted that rush of detached pleasure. After this client, he was instructed to meet up with Val in the penthouse before he could clock out for the night. He inwardly shuddered at this, there were some rumors throughout the studio today that Vox and Val had one of their spats and had supposedly broken up again. If that was true, Val would not be in the most pleasant of moods and he would be looking to take his frustrations on somebody. And more often than not Angel was the hapless victim. He hoped all this was just a misunderstanding and that he would be free to leave once he had that check-in. If Val wanted him to stay longer it would worry Charlie and the others and they would want to do something. But what...while Charlie did possess more power in her status than Valentino, most demons didn’t take her seriously. Still, if Valentino was irritated enough he could find ways to make her and the hotel suffer.

There was a knock before the door opened and his client for the evening waltzed in. The all too familiar smile and rosy circles on his cheeks. 

“Hello, Angel dear,” A masculine voice simpered. “Ready to have some...fun?”


	9. Chapter 9

“Yeah, that sounds like Angie all right.” Cherri laughed as Vaggie’s account concluded.”He does make it hard for people to know him.” Cherri’s single eye saddened somewhat. “Though that’s probably so he isn’t hurt by others. Still, I’m glad you guys did find him when you did and that the two of you are becoming people he is starting to trust as friends.”

“So we shared our story,” Charlie said brightly. “What about you, how did you and Angel meet?” 

“I met Angie about a few months after I arrived in hell,” Cherri stated. “It was during my first Cleanse. My first encounter with him was certainly different compared to yours, but things were different back then.” 

* * *

_“12/31/1988”_

_The day had felt weird all morning. She had woken up and gone to get some coffee at the local shop. Unfortunately everywhere she went the places had lines that stretched for blocks with signs saying they were closed by two. The markets, many of the stores were either shuttered tight or had signs saying “Hopefully open soon". Even the clubs said they were closed until further notice._

_There was odd nervous energy, everywhere around her. This was the last day of the year, but instead of being celebratory. All the people were agitated...scared, either huddling in their homes or finding different forms of shelter like they were waiting for a nuclear bomb to hit._

_“If you’re smart you’d be hiding right about now.” A tall demon with a New York accent said as he hurried past her. The demon was dressed in a pink and white Valentino Jacket and thigh-high boots._

_“Hey,” Cherri asked the stranger. “ Do you know what’s going on? Why is everything closed and shit?” The demon came to a stop in his tracks and seemed to consider something._

_“You’re a virgin,” The taller demon stated, a single dark-colored eye regarded her from over his left shoulder._

_“Excuse me,” Cherri said, immediately reaching for one of the Cherry Bombs she carried on her person. She may not know what’s going on, but she wasn’t going to just let some rando on the street insult her._

_“I wasn’t meaning that,” The other demon said, turning to fully face her for the first time. “I mean, you never even heard of the “Cleansings”?”_

_“I don’t understand the shit you’re talking about,” Cherri said in irritation. The taller demon seemed agitated about something that was going on but appeared rather conflicted too._

_“I don’t have time to tell ya the details,” The taller demon said, becoming more stressed by the moment. “Look, how far do ya live from here?”_

_“Around the west-side of the pentagram,” Cherri responded. “Why?”_

_“Ya won’t get there before lockdown,” The taller demon responded as he glanced around as though on the alert for something. “If they caught ya, you’ll be erased before mornin’.”_

_“If who caught me,” Cherri stated as she was getting irritated. “If you’re thinking that “I’m dumb, cause I’m a girl” bullshit. I have something for you to choke on.” The taller demon approached her, firmly but not ungently took hold of her shoulder and started to pull her along with him._

_“Come on,” he said. “My place ‘s not far from here. It ain’t much, but ya can hide there ‘till the whole things over.” Cherri wanted to resist, but something in her told her not to fight him. After a couple of blocks, they arrived at the front doors of a dingy apartment building. Her unknown companion tapped in a key code into the security access panel. The door gave a buzz, immediately he opened the dirty and cracked glass doors as he pushed her ahead of him into the poor excuse for an entryway. The two stopped to catch their breaths. Now that things were beginning to feel more settled she was finally able to get a good look at her companion. He was obviously a bug demon of some kind, she wasn’t certain as to what... He was covered in white fur though there were pale pink tones. While clearly male, he did have a rather effeminate appearance, even the attire he wore looked like women’s clothing. His dark pink eyes were an interesting contrast, with one gentle-looking white eye. While his second eye appeared to be his only physically intimidating feature as it was sinister-looking black with a single pink orb._

_The other demon was gradually becoming less anxious now that the two of them were indoors. She soon learned why he had been so stressed as a siren sounded and a metal grate fell in front of the glass doors they had entered._

_“Bet ya glad you ain’t one of the poor smucks still stuck out there right now.” He said giving her a smirk, though there was a slight bitterness in his humor as well. Turning from the sealed doors he started towards an elevator bank. “Come on, it still ain’t safe here.” He had stopped physically guiding her, so he was leaving her to follow if she wished. Figuring having a companion would be better than sitting in this entryway alone for however long, she decided to follow. Taking the rickety elevator up to the sixth-floor the two of them got out. There were other demons milling about in the halls. And there were occasional sneers and jeers in their general direction. Cherri noted, her companion ignored them or pretended not to hear them._

_“Hey slut,” One large demon called out. “How much she pay you to give her a good time?”_

_“If she made a man outta him, it’d be an improvement.” Another Demon added. “But then again she’d still be the one wearing the pants in the relationship from the looks of her.”_

_“Like you’d know,” Cherri commented back “He’s a better man than you two fuckers will ever be.” Her companion didn’t say anything though he did give her an impressed smirk. Arriving at a door he pulled a key and unlocked it._

_“It’s a mess in here,” He warned her as he entered. “But it ain’t like I was expecting company today.” Peering in she could see what he meant by “mess”. The single room apartment was littered with various sex toys ranging from dildos to vibrators, and some things she preferred not to know what they were. He was hurriedly picking those items up and stashing them in a cardboard box with the words “Work Shit” written on it which he put away in the small closet which was full of more women’s clothing ranging from fancy evening gowns to casual feminine attire. Cherri entered the small dwelling closing the door behind her as he drew the blinds down bathing the room in darkness. Locating a small lantern and turning it on he placed it on the floor so there at least was some light in the room. Settling on the floor himself he regarded her as if she was no more significant than the furniture, she was just something that was there._

_Cherri took a seat on the bed, which wasn't so much a bed as much as it was a mattress placed upon the floor. She wasn't feeling exactly comfortable with being in this cramped room with this unknown. But something about him told her he had no intention of doing anything to her. And even if he was inclined to try she had ways to show him she was not a girl to mess with. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket and shook one of the tobacco sticks loose. Before he took it however it seemed to occur to him that he did have someone else in the room with him._

_“Do ya mind?” He asked, pointing at the cigarettes._

_“Go ahead,” Cherri shrugged. “This is your home...I’m just a guest for the time being. So what’s all this shit going on? You were saying something about a Cleansing earlier?”_

_“Today’s the last day of the year, right?” The other demon said as he lit his cigarette and took a drag of the rank smelling tobacco. “Think of the Cleansing as a New Year’s celebration. Except instead of toasting the coming year with Champagne and parties, the year is welcomed with murder and mass genocide. This time every year some beings called the “Exocists” come from Heaven and deal with the overpopulation. Any demon who can rub two brain-cells together knows to be sheltered in place before lockdown starts. If you’re unfortunate enough to miss curfew or be outside then you better find somewhere good to hide for the next several hours. Because if you’re caught, you’re a goner. The exterminations haven't started yet, but they will very soon. A member of Hell’s royal family comes out and announces when the whole thing's over, but we got about several hours until then.”_

_“Oh,” Cherri said, beginning to really grasp what had been going on the whole day. “So...what was the big idea of calling me a ‘virgin’ earlier?”_

_“That’s just something we say at work,” The other demon said. “We kinda call people who are new here and haven’t experienced a cleansing before “Cleansing Virgins” and “Extermination Cherry’s” things like that. As you may have noticed I am kinda involved in adult entertainment so it’s a kind of an in-joke as it were.”_

_“Okay,” Cherri responded, really considering things from a different perspective. While these exterminations were bad, maybe there was still something to be gained out of all of it. “And what happens when these ‘Cleansings’ are over. I mean if Demons are actually killed off to the point they can’t revive again, that’s gotta leave a lot of places open for the taking, right?”_

_“Yeah,” The other demon responded. “There are land and power grabs following these things... turf wars. It’s mostly the Overlords seizing more power for themselves, though occasionally the other sinners or weirdo’s around here try to take advantage of things too.”_

_“I’m not exactly a pushover myself,” Cherri grinned holding three small explosives between her fingers. “If there is a place to party, I’m there.” Her companion raised the brow of his darker left eye, another impressed smirk appearing on his face. “I’m known as Cherri Bomb...and you?”_

_“Angel Dust,” Her companion responded. “You gotta lot of spunk, sista’...I like that.” The two demons continued to chat amongst each other about what they had come to learn through their time in Hell as the time passed. Finding a needed companionship with each other for the time being. As the hours passed, Cherri felt herself lull into a comfortable sleep across Angel’s bed grateful that she had found someone who could help her understand the chaotic world that she had come to find herself in._

_As the clock tower struck midnight, Angel looked up as the sound of fireworks boomed overhead signifying the end of the lockdown period. Drawing the blinds back up again, the phone on his vanity table rang. He immediately got up to answer it knowing exactly who it was._

_“Angel honey,” Val purred. “I hope you managed to get some money for me before it was time for lockdown.“_

_“I did get a few Johns,” Angel replied. “My last one was a cold-fish. It was barely worth the money he gave me. I'm about the head over to the studio now I’m just needing to take care of somethin’ first.”_

_“Don’t be too long, Sugar,” Valentino said. “You don’t wanna make Daddy angry with you…” Hanging up the phone, he moved to the bed and started to shake Cherri’s shoulder._

_“Okay Cookie,” He said. “Time to wake up.” Cherri stirred as her single eye opened._

_“Is it over?” Cherri asked as she started to sit up._

_“Yep,” Angel responded as he put the lantern away and checked the make up he was wearing._

_“Why did…” Cherri asked, confused. “You could have left me out there to be picked off by these exorcists, why did you go to the trouble of helping me?”_

_“I guess…” Angel sighed as if he was contemplating. “It’s because no one was there for me my first time,” He gave a bitter smile at the memory. “I managed to luck out and find a broom closet before the killing started.”_

_“Well…” Cherri said as she made her way out of the room. “Thanks...maybe I’ll see you around. I could use a guy like you if I’m gonna start taking over some turf around here.”_

* * *

“We didn’t become friends overnight,” Cherri admitted “But he did become an ally to me. He taught me about how this city worked. I taught him about handling weapons and explosives which he took to with natural ease. I’ve literally seen him take on entire groups of demons on his own like it’s nothing.” Both Charlie and Vaggie look to one another briefly as though sharing a thought between them.

“I know,” Cherri sighed. “All of that stuff is problematic and is something your hotel is trying to discourage.”

“It’s not that,” Vaggie responded. “If Angel can take on groups of demons on his own, what is stopping him from going after Valentino?” 

“I don’t know,” Cherri stated. “It might be the fact Valentino is an Overlord. I mean yeah, the two of us took on Sir Pentious together in that turf war we had some weeks back. But when it comes to him that wannabe, snake-brained, edgelord isn’t all that much of a challenge. He’s mostly just talk and nothing else. But Valentino...I don’t know what sort of hold he has over Angie. I mean I know Val’s abusive, but...it’s like there is more than that. But the worst he’s done is forcing Angie to give him blowjobs at times.”

“Excuse me, my dear,” Alastor interrupted. “I’m not one to partake in the illicit pleasures of the flesh. But how can you be so certain that events that are worse than these occasional non-consensual fellatios have not taken place?” 

“You aren’t seriously suggesting...?” Cherri angrily demanded.

“He’s just being realistic,” Vaggie pointed out. “As much as I hate to say this, I do agree with Alastor. We can’t be certain worse hasn’t actually happened. Look at his profession, look at what he does...is it that hard to believe that he may have hurt Angel in that way?”

“This is ridiculous,” Cherri protested. She knew in her heart what Vaggie was saying was true. Angel may have been raped by Valentino and maybe others. Val was sleezy and despicable, why wouldn’t he stoop to something that was so humiliating and dehumanizing. That didn’t mean she didn’t have a hard time believing it. 

“He was with Valentino before he met you, Cherri,” Charlie said. She also didn’t like to think such awful things were happening. Particularly happening to someone she had grown to love and respect as a friend and think of as a member of her family. “He’s probably never told you because he wants to spare you the truth of it...or it’s something he hasn’t admitted to himself.” Cherri’s cycloptic eye grew troubled as she shook her head as if she didn’t want to believe that was so.

“No…Angie...” She said mournfully as she grit her teeth angrily. “I swear...I swear I’ll kill that evil son of a…” Charlie put a comforting hand on Cherri’s. 

“He’ll need you to help him heal from all that’s going on,” Charlie said. “Going after Valentino in anger is not going to help matters, it’s only going to hurt him more. And that is what that Overlord wants, for you to act against him so he can hurt Angel because of it, and hurt you because it would cause Angel to suffer as well.”

“But things are getting worse,” Cherri said. “I’m worried I’ll lose him…”

“I’m worried about that too,” Charlie said. “Maybe...maybe a change in scenery might help leaving the city even for just a weekend might give him and the rest of us a chance to clear our thoughts and figure out what we could do.”

“What about Valentino,” Vaggie pointed out. “He will still come here looking for Angel, wouldn’t he? Even if we can get out of the city without Valentino’s knowledge...he could still destroy everything we’re trying to do. We could return here and find the hotel just a pile of smoldering rubble or worse, he could be waiting for us to return so he could force Angel to leave with him at gunpoint.”

“You also need to remember what sort of forces are associated with this building,” Alastor said. “I had promised to help this hotel, so I wouldn’t allow it to be destroyed. And while Lucifer may have given this place to Charlie, he would not take kindly to someone willfully destroying it.”

“Speaking of the spider…” Husk said as he glanced at the wall clock by the bar. “He’s usually back by now.”

“Your…You’re right,” Charlie said in concern as she pulled out her Hellphone to see if Angel had sent any texts informing her he would be late. “Cherri...has he sent you any calls or texts?”

“No,” Cherri admitted after checking her phone. “You don’t think that…?” She didn’t need to finish that question. As both Charlie,Vaggie, and everyone else had reached the same conclusion.

* * *

“I recall hearing that you are at that hotel my darling Charlotte is running,” Lucifer commented as he adjusted his jacket and bow tie. Angel just lay curled under the blanket.

“Mmm-hmm,” Angel said non-committally. He knew he wasn’t at fault since Lucifer had asked for him. Still, that didn’t mean he didn’t feel lower than dirt right now. How could he look Charlie in the face all the while knowingly stabbing her in the back by allowing himself to be screwed by her father? How could he live in that hotel where pictures of Lucifer hung as he proudly stood beside his wife and daughter. He just wished that Lucifer would just go so he could get cleaned up, dressed, give Valentino the souls he had earned today, and finally return to the hotel. Returning to his private room so he could suffer alone until he needed to do this shit all over again. 

“I do hope you are being good to her,” Lucifer said. “My Charlotte can be flighty and doesn’t always think things through, but she does have a good head on her shoulders. Sometimes I wonder if she cares a little too much. Then again not everybody would see something redeemable in most demons...at least not in a whore like you.” Angel hugged himself at that remark. People only saw what they wanted to, which was whatever was on the surface. Never the full story surrounding it. 

Even when he had been alive this had been his life. He was the child of a known Mafioso, he must be destined to be a criminal as well. He got into fights with other boys at school because he was protecting and defending his younger sister from being bullied by them. He was automatically assumed to be a troublemaker. The Nuns at school looking down their noses and proclaiming that he had too much of the devil in him. Even his Nonna...she had taken one look at him and said “Nothing good will come from that boy.”

Even though he choose to enter the sex trade as a means of distancing himself from his relatives. The times he had encountered any of them it was only for them to point out he had forgotten what family meant and make it clear he would not be welcome. And now...all people saw was a spoiled brat who was able to create an easy living for himself on his back. They didn’t know the pain and humiliation he suffered as part of his existence, yet even if they did...most would say he still brought it all on himself...it was what he deserved.

Once Lucifer had taken his leave Angel located his clothing. The small suite didn’t have a shower so he made do with running a damp washcloth over his body cleans away anything that remained of Lucifer. A hot shower back at the hotel should take care of anything he may have missed. Getting dressed he picked up the stack of souls that Lucifer had left and made his way to the elevator. He pressed the button for the penthouse. The door obediently closed but didn’t ascend.

“Ah, Angel…” Valentino said. 

“I have the payment from our VIP,” Angel stated. He hoped he didn’t sound as worn out as he felt. All he wanted was to just go back to the hotel...he wanted to cuddle Fat Nuggets. He wanted to curl beside Cherri as she wrapped her gentle arms around as she pulled him into a comforting embrace. He wanted to be with the only people in Hell who loved and cared for him as one of their own. Not what he can do to service them.

“Excellent,” Valentino remarked. The elevator rose straight up five floors without stopping until it arrived at Valentino’s penthouse suite. The main room was tackily decorated. The entire room sitting area had deep-purple plush couches and chairs. A white heart-shaped rug sat underneath a taupe colored coffee table. The plush carpet under the floor was a bright rosy pink, while the walls were all covered in Bordeaux red wallpaper lined with heart-shaped pinstripes. The walls had various framed posters of Angel Dust’s photoshoots. Some photos had Valentino with Vox standing with Angel, Dia, Summer between them. Some with Velvet standing in front of the three porn stars like the four of them were the best of friends. All six of them standing in a gross facsimile of a family. Other photos were of Angel Dust standing or sitting with a decidedly forced smile on his face. While Valentino stood beside him or leaned around him and grinned like a proud papa. Making a show for the camera about how he treated and thought of Angel as a son. 

Currently, Val’s back was to him. He was gazing up at a porn image of Angel costumed as a slutty mermaid who was in the midst of reviving a sailor he had rescued by giving him head. Angel put the souls on the console table where three reception boxes rested. Two already held earnings from Dia and Summer. Angel placed the souls he held in his hands in the box marked with his name. That done he turned to press the elevator door so he could leave for the day. 

Suddenly Val’s hand clamped around Angel’s wrist. Whirling the Spider around the moth grabbed hold of Angel’s chin and gave him a forced kiss. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Valentino demanded.

“Back…” Angel answered. Uncomfortable with the tension that filled the room. “Back to the hotel...I’m done for today and…”

“I didn’t say you were free to go,” Valentino glowered. “I still have need of you.” He roughly pulled Angel behind him towards the bedroom. 

“But...if I.” Angel protested as he struggled to get out of Valentino’s grip. “If I don’t return to the hotel they’ll…” Valentino responded by slamming Angel back against a wall. 

“Remember, who is allowing you to even remain at that hotel!” Val snarled. “They’ll be fine without you for one night.”

“If this is because you and Vox aren’t working out right now,” Angel protested, but his words were quieted as the flat one of Valentino’s hands made contact with his face in a hard smack.

“Don’t ever speak that bastard's name again!” Val snarled as he tossed the porn star into the bedroom. Angel lay sprawled against the plush pink carpeting. 

~Please...no...not this…~ The porn star thought to himself as he fearfully turned to look behind him as Valentino stood glaring down at him. His eyes and smile glowing red in the darkness as he shut the door. Undoing his coat he revealed he was bare-chested with only a pair of black silk sleep pants. Angel scrabbled away in a futile attempt to prevent what he knew was going to occur. 

“Come to Daddy, Angel Cakes.” Valentino crooned, though there was an underlying tone that insisted that it was better for Angel to obey. Angel just fearfully huddled in the corner. 

“Please Val,” Angel begged. “I’ve been good...I’ve been doing what you wanted...just...just let me go home.”

“You are home…” Valentino growled grabbing the Spider by the ankle and pulling him forward. “Haven’t I been a better father figure to you than your old man? I’ve loved you...cared for you, treated you as if you were my own. I’ve told you time and again how special you were. The day I bought you from that casino was the best day of your afterlife because I actually made something of you. And you prefer to spend your time with a bunch of people who barely know you. People who will just turn their backs on you the moment this hotel fails. Even that Aussie cyclops girl you’re buddies with...she’ll drop kick you the moment she doesn’t need you anymore. You know as well as I do that end is inevitable. Just accept the fact you belong to me. When ‘Daddy’ tells you to fuck somebody, you present your ass and allow them to fuck your brains out. When ‘Daddy’ tells you to suck a dick, you suck all the dick you can. When Daddy tells you to come to him, you get on your hands and knees and crawl to me like a good little pet. I don’t like to punish you, but I will if you force me to. So are you going to be good or do I need to punish you?”

Angel reluctantly rolled to his hands and knees once Valentino let go of his ankle. Obediently crawling up to Valentino he placed a hand on his employer's knee and looked up at him as though asking permission. 

“Good boy,” Val responded, his voice low and pleased with Angel’s response. “Now, why don’t you give Daddy some sugar.” Angel winced in response but obediently crawled between Valentino’s legs. Kissing the crotch area of Valentino’s trowsers causing the organ underneath the thin fabric to swell. The Spider ran his tongue around the bulge that was appearing. Valentino placed his hands on Angel’s shoulders which the porn star took as a sign to take the bulge into his mouth. 

The moth overlord let out a churring noise in pleasure at the oral stimulation he was getting. His hands traveled along Angel’s neck before undoing the black ribbon choker that rested around his throat. 

“This old thing is just so boring, Angie Baby,” Val commented. “Hang on, I have one that would look so much more pleasing on you. You can suck ‘Daddy’s’ dick in a second.” Getting up he went to the drawer and pulled out a black velvet ribbon choker with a little pink heart charm dangled from the center of it. “There now. That looks so much nicer on you, wouldn’t you agree.”

“Thank you for it, Daddy,” Angel said numbly. Though he mentally wanted to rip the damn thing off and throw it across the room. He didn’t want anything Valentino wanted to give him, he hated anything associated with Val. 

“Now then,” Val said as he patted his lap. “I think you were about to suck off my ‘Big D’. After you do that, I want to fuck you so hard I make you scream so loud they can hear you in the Lust Ring.”


	10. Chapter 10

Angel stepped into the shower following his most recent production shoot. He winced slighty as he allowed himself to be hit by the spray. The water was hot...hotter then he normally had it. But given everything that had happened he longed to melt away and never be heard from again. Bracing a hand against the wall almost as though that was all he could do to keep his tired and bruised body standing. 

He hugged his lower arms around himself as he remembered how Valentino had raped him the previous night. His body roughly violated over and over again...and for what? Because Vox decided that he didn’t want anything to do with Valentino anymore. Because Val couldn’t accommodate Vox’s needs. Because Val just wanted to take his anger out on someone. Given the on and off nature of Vox and Valentino’s relationship he figured he should be used to this by now. Used to how Val always wanted to punish someone when Vox wanted to leave, and he was always the one Valentino felt deserved it.

All night, he had been trapped in that penthouse with Valentino all night while the moth brutally had his way. It was only the early hours of dawn when Val was finally spent and had gone to sleep. What sleep Angel was able to get was fleeting as the way Val had his arms around him made it impossible to get up. When 9:30 rolled around Val insisted that Angel fulfill his schedule for the day and then he would be able to return home to his hotel.

Sticking a finger down his throat Angel gagged for he threw up all the cum he had swallowed over the last shoot. This was a habit he picked up weeks ago, at first it was only during his final shower as he prepared to return to the hotel. Now it was during every shower that he would purge his stomach of the bitter, salty, ejaculations. His eyes impassively watched as the tiny fish-like man seeds helplessly flailed as the shower water helped guide them down the drain. 

Angel didn’t know why demons were still able to produce sperm since sinners couldn’t physically have children. Cherri had admitted that even though she could bang whoever she wanted without fear of getting pregnant. She did find herself missing her period because as annoying and messy as it was. It was the only thing that made her feel like a real woman. In truth, while Angel couldn’t exactly say sinners were unnatural, but they weren’t exactly native to like the Hellborns were. This must have been what his Il Nonni and Papa must have felt as they stepped foot on American soil for the first time. Being in a country they didn’t culturally belong to and yet knew it would be home from that point onward.

It was only the Hellborn demons that we're able to have children and age though at a much slower pace than a human would. While the porn star did take pride in his figure and an appreciation that he would stay young for all eternity. It still felt weird to forever be trapped in a thirty-three-year-olds body, when he had existed for one-hundred-and-six years. 

When he had been human, Angel had wanted to find a man who loved him despite the mobster ties. The two of them making the choice of taking Molly with them and running to San Francisco together where they could be far away from the Ragso Family. After a few years, the two of them gaining children to raise on their own. Or being proud uncles to Molly’s little ones, he even had names picked out for these fantasy children. Isabella for a girl and Alceo for a boy. But in the end, dreams were all they would ever be. Stepping out from the shower he toweled off and got dressed and started for the door. 

He could imagine Cherri and the others would be worried about where he had been all the previous night. He ran his mind over what he could say to ease them, what sort of story he could offer. ‘Val wanted him to stay late for a last-minute project. He would have sent a text informing them that he was still at work, but his phone had died he left his charger at the Hotel’ Cherri would bore holes in that one instantly particularly since he did have a spare charger in his dressing room. He was secretly glad he had silenced his phone before Lucifer came to call. The way Cherri had blown up his Hellphone with calls and texts trying to see what was keeping him so late Angel didn’t even want to know what Val would have done if he heard Angel’s phone going off with increasing frequency. 

_“Angie..where are you? Are you alright?”_

_“Seriously man, you are worrying me... what’s up?”_

_“Angie...as soon as you get this text,call me or Charlie. We need to know you’re alright.”_

_“I’ve been wanting to get everyone together and storm the studio to find you. The princess has talked me out of it and told me to have faith you’ll come back. She’s concerned about what’s going on but wants to believe you can take care of yourself. I want to believe that too, but considering...anyway don’t worry about Nugzy. I’m looking after him, but he misses his papa. Please...when you can...it would make everyone here breathe easier if we know you’re okay.”_

He was so deep in thought he didn’t see Valentino before the moth grabbed hold of his arm. 

“I just wanted to wish you a good evening, Angel Cakes.” Val said as he leaned in. “Remember the beauty of that “special room” is that your friends at the hotel can search every room of this studio looking for you and never find you. Don’t make me feel the need to lock you in there.”

“Come se avessi bisogno di un motivo… (As if you need a reason).” Angel muttered under his breath as he continued to walk away. 

“What was that, sweetheart?” Valentino asked with a slight buzz in his voice.

“I was only saying ‘Buonanotte, signor Valentino.’ (Goodnight, Mr. Valentino.)” Angel hurriedly corrected. Valentino roughly grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back so he was forced to look Valentino in the eyes. 

“You know how I feel about you speaking that fucking spaghetti language you like to use,” Valentino said with a slight growl. “It makes me think you were trying to sass me. English only when you are around me, got that...or do I need to punish you again?”

“No, sir.” Angel sighed. “I’ll be more careful about speakin’ Italiano when I’m around you.”

“Good boy,” Valentino said smugly. “I have a town car ready to take you back to that dump of a hotel. See you bright and early tomorrow, dear.”

* * *

The hotel was rather quiet the whole previous night. Cherri had wanted to go out in force and assault the studo. She knew in her heart that something was happening to Angel and it wasn’t good. 

“I’ve seen the shit Valentino does really get to him once.” The bomber girl had explained. “It was one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever seen.”

“We should believe that he will return.” Charlie stated, though she also had a feeling that something bad was happening to the spider. But the blond princess was maintaining a calm mindset in everyone who resided in her hotel. Showing up looking for a fight would only make things worse. “If he isn’t back by tomorrow night, then we will go look for him.”

“You don’t know,” Cherri protested. “You don’t know what that bastard even does to Angie.” 

“You’re right, I don’t know,” Charlie admitted as she placed a calming hand on the blond cyclopes shoulder. “And I prefer not to know. Still, that doesn’t mean I am ignoring what is happening. Remember, he’s undergoing this for all of us.”

“But you are the Princess of Hell,” Cherri pointed out. “Doesn’t that give you authority and shit...maybe a way to get Angel out of there? Or what about your father?”

“I don’t want to use my authority unless I absolutely have to.” Charlie stated. “I know about the abuse and I want to step in about that. But I can’t use my status in this unless things are serious. As for my father, he doesn’t involve himself in the affairs of demons unless it leads to massive upheavals 

“Okay,” Cherri said bitterly. She knew Charlie was right, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel helpless at what was happening.

The three girls had found it hard to sleep. The three of them kept awake listening for the sound of Angel’s guest room door slamming shut. Anything saying he was back, but there was nothing. Even in the morning when pancakes were being prepared for breakfast, there was no sign or word that Angel had been back at all.

“Don’t worry yourselves my dears,” Alastor said. “Angel Dust is capable of handling himself.” 

“That’s exactly why we are worried,” Vaggie commented.

“If he isn’t back by this evening,” Charlie stated. “Then we will pay the porn studio a visit.” The rest of the day had passed slowly finally as evening started, Charlie and Vaggie retired to the main floor office to plan out what should be done. Cherri had returned to her room to tend to Fat Nuggets and wait to see if Angel would return or if they were going to travel to the porn studio.

Angel rubbed his forehead as he got out of the studio’s town car. He was exhausted following everything from last night and today. He hoped Charlie and the others didn’t have too many questions to ask. He wanted nothing more than to just curl up in bed and sleep like death for the next week. 

Opening the door he found Husk standing at the bar, Alastor was also seated at the bar with his customary snifter of cognac.

“Ah, welcome home my dear fellow.” Alastor greeted. Angel didn’t answer as he felt his vision swim and everything went dark.

* * *

Husk looked up in concern as Angel entered the hotel. He immediately could tell something was wrong. 

“Ah, welcome home my dear fellow.” Alastor greeted. Angel didn’t answer as his legs buckled out from underneath him sending the spider crashing to the ground. “Oh dear me...well I guess someone should go inform Charlie and her companion that our prodigal spider has finally returned home.”

“He’s back?” Charlie asked as she appeared at the door to her office. 

“Don’t know about back,” Husk remarked. “But he’s certainly sprawled across the floor.” Charlie immediately noticed where Angel had collapsed.

“I’ll get Cherri,” Vaggie said as she raced to the elevator. Charlie didn’t acknowledge that she heard her girlfriend as she cautiously approached where Angel lay on the floor. Kneeling down she gently rested his head on her lap, her hand lightly stroking his hair. He didn’t look like he was high, and she didn’t smell alcohol so he couldn’t be drunk. The rings under his eyes were worrisome. Same with the hollows that had started to form in his cheeks. 

“Here,” Husk said, handing a small flask of smelling salts to Charlie. “Wave this under his nose and he should regain consciousness.”

“Thank you,” The princess said as she pulled the stopper and waved the lavender-scented ammonia crystals under Angel’s snout until she heard a promising groan escape his mouth. Wordlessly she handed back the smelling salts to the demon cat. “It’s alright…you’re home among friends.” Charlie soothingly said as Angel started to sit up.

“ANGIE!” Cherri said as she lept over the second-floor railing and landed on her feet on the ground floor. 

“We do have stairs you know,” Vaggie groused. But the bomber girl didn’t pay her any notice as she knelt down beside Angel and began looking him over for bruises. 

“What did that bastard do to you? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Cherri asked as she put a hand on Angel’s shoulder but quickly removed it when the spider tensed and flinched away from her touch. “Oh what am I saying, of course, he did.”

“Val was having one of his breakups with Vox,” Angel sighed. 

“And you needed to stay overnight without a word because of that?” Vaggie asked as she calmly walked down the stairs. 

“Angel...what aren’t you saying?” Charlie asked in concern. Angel’s arms hugged around himself as he looked away in shame. He just wanted to shrink away and never be seen and heard from again. Vaggie had rejoined her girlfriend downstairs, her single eye blinked in concern and met Charlie’s eyes to see she had also come to the same conclusions. Angel was breaking, he couldn’t subject himself to any of this...not anymore. 

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, is it?” Vaggie asked as she knelt down on the floor. Angel put a hand to his mouth as though to muffle something as he curled into a ball. 

“Angie?” Cherri asked confused as to what her friend wasn’t saying, but these two girls who he barely knew could understand what had happened as though they had been privy to his thoughts. 

Charlie had moved closer to the spider. Leaning her head close to his conspiratorially. Angel whispered something to her, but neither Cherri or Vaggie could hear what was being said. When the blond girl looked up at her companions once more the sclera of her eyes had taken on a red cast that told them everything they needed to know, Valentino had taken things too far. 

“My family has a luxury cabin up north of here,” Charlie announced. “I’ll call my father to let him know I’m using it with some friends. Do you two have anything that's suitable for outdoors.”

“I think I do,” Cherri said. “I’m from Australia, roughing it’s in my blood.”

“Born city dweller.” Angel sighed as he slowly got to his feet. He was disoriented following his collapse. “The closest thing I’ve seen to the wilderness was Central Park.”

“Well,” Charlie said trying to sound encouraging. “You’ll enjoy the cabin at least.”

* * *

Angel had slipped out of his jacket and skirt, put on a white v-neck t-shirt and a pair of gray cargo pants. He didn’t usually wear such attire except for days when he wasn’t needed to be presentable. It felt strange being free to dress casually for once, at least less than sexy casual. Filling a travel bag with shirts, shorts, trousers, sweaters. He heard a familiar buzz of his phone with his next schedule. 

“Yes, Mr. Valentino sir.” Angel obediently responded though he inwardly smirked at the fact he would not be anywhere in the city when the filming took place. Val had crossed a line last night, it was time he accepted that Angel was not his plaything...not anymore. There was a knock on his door before Cherri entered carrying Fat Nuggets in her arms like a baby. 

“Nugzy has been missing his papa,” Cherri said. The little pig joyfully held his hooves out to him. Angel immediately held his hands out and happily took the tiny pig into his arms before pulling Cherri into his embrace. 

“Thank you for looking after him,” Angel said.

“Hey, he’s my baby too,” Cherri said. “Speaking of, you have a carrier for him or something?”

“Yeah, it’s under the bed,” Angel responded. Cherri immediately knelt down and pulled out the bag. 

“Maybe I should bring one of my wigs so I’m not recognized,” Angel said as he opened a drawer to pull out a shoulder-length dark-haired wig and put it in his bag. Fat Nuggets squealed in protest as he was put in the carrier bag. 

“I think that’s everything,” Cherri said as she noticed Angel’s schedule for the next day. “You want to tell him ‘fuck you’...hey what did you tell the princess about what happened?” 

“Just that Val wanted to punish me for Vox leaving him.” Angel sighed. 

“He what?!” Cherri said, nearly dropping the phone in shock. “Please tell me he didn’t do what I believed he did.” Angel hugged his lower arms around himself as he pulled the carry bag over his shoulders. This seemed to be his go-to anxiety tick now. “Angie…” Cherri said, demanding an answer. 

“Do you honestly need me to come out and say it?” Angel said as he picked the phone from her hand and put it on his vanity table as he started for the door. “He fucking raped me alright, he’s been doing that since he bought me.”

“What?” Cherri asked, confused as she followed Angel out the door. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you and I were honest with each other about these things?” 

“Cherri…” Angel sighed. “Do you know how many times Val has threatened you in front of me? The sort of things he’s told me he wants to do to you?”

“I’m not afraid of him,” Cherri said. 

“But I fear for you,” Angel said. “I’ve faced his tortures before and I don’t want him to turn his anger on someone I’ve come to care about. I already have two coworkers who Valentino punishes for whatever reason and he tells them the reason they are being tortured is because of me. If he gets his hands on you, he will drill it into your skull that everything that is being done to you is all my doing. Even if you insist you won’t listen to him, that you’re stronger than he believes. I’ve seen people who have that same mindset, and all of them have broken under the torture. I don’t care about what happens to me, but if I lost you or Nuggz to Val or anyone, I couldn’t bear it.”

“But he’s hurting you,” Cherri insisted as she wrapped her arms around the taller demon. “And that hurts me. I don’t want to lose you to Val, to the Princess, to anyone. I know you only really see me as a sister, but I do love and care about you, Angie. You mean a whole lot to me. We swore to one another that we’d be together as partners until the bitter end. Don’t hurt me by saying you don’t care what happens to you, because I want to be there with you. I want to see that coward be erased, I want to become an overlord myself so I can use my power to free you from his grasp. I don’t care if it dooms me to Hell for all eternity. I mean, you know as well as I do I’ll never get into Heaven, no matter what Charlie believes. And even if this whole redemption thing is for real...what’s the point if you aren’t going to be there...if you’re not going to be there with me.”

“There is one person in Heaven I could have you look for,” Angel said. 

“Really who…?” Cherri said 

“Everyone packed?” Charlie asked unknowingly interrupting the conversation. 

“Yep,” Angel said. 

“I am.” Cherri said. 

“It’s going to be a long trip,” Charlie admitted “So Vaggie is making sure there are blankets in the town car. We’ll be stopping for breakfast in a town just outside our destination.”

“So it’s just going to be the four of us?” Angel inquired.

“Of course my dear fellow,” Alastor said. “Someone does need to stay behind and make sure Valentino and his sleazy cohorts are unable to cause any nonsense while you are all away on your little venture.”

“I guess we’ll see you in a week or two,” Charlie said as Angel piled into the town car after Cherri. Vaggie and Charlie climbed in after them and the door closed and the group disappeared into the night. 

* * *

The hours ticked by slowly as they made their way down the road. Cherri had gracelessly settled herself on the side bench seat with one arm over her single eye, her mouth hung open as she blissfully snored. Vaggie had curled up on the bench seat next to Charlie, her long hair covering her body like a blanket. Charlie was also settling down when she heard the noise of someone softly crying. Glancing over she had noticed Angel had jackknifed his lanky frame under the blanket covering him. His face was buried in his pillow, but she knew he was processing the horror he had been through the previous night. The sclera of her eyes turned scarlet at the thought of what Valentino had done to the pornstar. And for what, because his boyfriend left him because he wanted to punish someone for whatever reason. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. Calming her anger she made her way over to where Angel was attempting to get some sleep. Cautiously she reached out and touched him on the shoulder blade, his body flinched at the unexpected touch. She had expected a reaction like this would happen and she was prepared for whatever happened. He could project his anger towards her if he wanted. Either way, she would be there for him.

“It’s alright,” Charlie softly said as she ran her hand up and down his back in soothing circles. “I heard you crying in your sleep, so I was just seeing if you were okay.” Angel remained still a moment before he ran the heel of a hand across his eyes before rolled over so his white eye gazed up at her. He wasn’t angry, just self-conscious at being caught in such a vulnerable state. She didn’t smile down at him, in truth there was nothing really to smile about. The four of them were escaping into the night, trying to put as much distance between them and Valentino. Even when they did return to the hotel, there is no telling that Valentino wouldn’t try to claim or hurt anyone else Angel cared about in retribution.

She soothingly continued to run circles in along Angel’s back. She refrained from speaking or saying anything comforting. She let the silence speak for them. Angel didn’t enjoy being caught shedding tears, that was usually something he released privately. But unlike Val or his father, Charlie wasn’t criticizing him for his tears. Instead, she was just running her hand along his back, allowing him to give voice to his misery if he so desired. The comforting way she ran her hand along his back and shoulders reminded him of the times his mother had comforted him and his siblings whenever they had been sick as children. As the minutes ticked by slumber finally seemed to find him. Sensing that he was beginning to drift Charlie stopped running her hand along his back and stood up. 

“Sleep well, Angel.” She softly said as she returned to where Vaggie lay sleeping. Charlie lightly brushed her fingers through Vaggie’s hair as she settled beside her lover and closed her eyes. Angel quietly watched the two girls appreciating the love the two of them had for one another before he also closed his eyes and sleep claimed him at last.


	11. Chapter 11

Dawn was creeping over the horizon as the makeshift family arrived at a small town outside their destination. Charlie yawned and noticed they had stopped. 

“Vaggie...Vaggie.” Charlie said as she lightly shook her girlfriend's shoulder. 

“Are we there?” Vaggie asked. 

“We’re in the towns outside of our location,” Charlie said. “We are going to get some breakfast before we go to the cabin.”

“Alright,” Vaggie said. “Cherri, Angel time to wake up.”

“Are we there?” Cheeri asked tiredly. Angel sat up somewhat tiredly picking some grit from his eyes. Charlie cocked her head worriedly, Angel wasn’t what would be considered as a morning person, but she couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong with him. 

“Not yet,” Charlie said, “We are stopping here to get some breakfast.”

“Hang on a moment,” Angel said as he pulled the wig and some makeup from his travel bag.

“Good idea,” Charlie agreed. “Vaggie why don’t we wait outside.”

“Seriously, he thinks someone is going to recognize him here.” Vaggie groused. 

“He has merch that goes as far as the Lust Ring,” Cherri said as she joined the two girls. “Even though we are in the boonies it's still possible for someone to have seen some of his films or...something.”

“The place we are going has high security,” Charlie said. “The only people allowed on it are members of the Magne family, and people permitted by the Magne family. All the same, it’s better we don’t have unwanted attention.” The door to the town car opened and Angel stepped out, dressed in a dark-haired wig that reached his shoulders. The pink spots under his eyes were covered up with conceler. 

“Oh wow, Angel…” Charlie said. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Thanks,” Angel said with his usual smirk.

“So anyway,” Charlie said as she led her companions towards a restaurant in the small shopping center. “A place I enjoyed visiting with my parents when we came up here was a cafe called “Generous Temptations”. They specialize in various all-day breakfast dishes.” 

“And huge portions,” Cherri commented as she looked the menu up on her hellphone. “It would take at least three people to finish one of these plates. Where do you chicks even put it?” 

“Yeah...we were usually full until dinner,” Charlie admitted. “This whole town and this restaurant are all run by Hellhounds, so that may be the reason for the huge portions. But they are really good, and the owners are nice people.”

“Wait,” Vaggie said as she pointed at the ‘closed’ sign as they approached. “I know we are a bit early, but it’s only seven o'clock. Tetra and her family usually have the place open by now.”

“It could be because of the storm that’s blowing in,” Angel said as he continued to rub his forehead like he was suffering from a headache. 

“Wait, a storm?” Charlie asked. Before pulling out her phone, looking up the weather forecast sure enough there was a ‘level 4’ storm about an hour out. 

“I’ve been feeling one in the distance for at least twenty minutes before we arrived.” Angel groaned. 

“You feel it…?” Vaggie 

"Apparently spider demons have a sensitivity towards the weather…” Cherri explained. “Or Angie does at least. So when he feels a storm is in the air, he doesn't feel very well. If this is bad enough to have everything on lockdown heading to the cabin ASAP might be a good idea, that way can be settled before things hit." 

“I agree,” Charlie sighed in disappointment. “Why don’t we come back another time?” She had looked forward to one of her favorite restaurants with a couple of her newer friends. She hadn’t been in this side of the Pride Ring in such a long time that she never stopped to consider what sort of atmospheric differences would affect them. She had been so open to the idea of giving the four of them some time away from the city. That she hadn’t thought to look ahead for this kind of thing. The wind was starting to pick up and the air was getting colder ushering in the major storm. Fortunately, there was plenty of food available at the cabin, so they could have breakfast there. 

* * *

The rest of the journey to the cabin was quiet and uneventful. The wind had picked up further when they arrived. 

“So guys,” Charlie said cheerfully. “Welcome to my family’s private cabin” as she threw open the door. Like the hotel, there were lots of snake and apple motifs with framed images of the Magne Family on the walls and other surfaces. Though it did have more of an air of comfortable rustic charm. Or as close as Hell can get for the three-story building set in the Hellish mountains surrounded by Dred Pines, Spiny Oaks, and Mosquito Ivy overlooking a creek of blood-red water that feeds a vast lake a short distance away. 

The first floor had a sizable fully equipped open kitchen with blood-quartz countertops, a large cooking range, double oven, refrigerator, and wine fridge. A dark wood table outside the kitchen had fourteen chairs sitting around it indicating the capacity the lavish cabin could house comfortably. The sitting area had a collection of couches and armchairs set around an inviting fireplace. The deck beyond had other tables and chairs and what looked like an outdoor dining setup. 

“There are two downstairs master suites,” Charlie explained room arrangement. “There is also a bunk room with two full bunk beds and two twin beds over there if you two feel more comfortable being together. Vaggie and I will be sharing the master bedroom in the loft area.” Cherri wasted no time in exploring what each of the rooms had to offer. 

“Oh heck yeah,” She crowed from downstairs. “Hot tub party!”

“I guess if more people join up the hotel, that bunk room will be pretty convenient,” Angel commented. 

“Yeah,” Charlie said.”This place does hold fourteen people and there are some tuck-away beds with some of the couches. There are also a couple of additional cabins that aren’t far from here that could be a comfortable living space for six people. I was considering making this a place for group retreats during the summer. Given the way things are currently, I hope it can be a place that could help you relax and not feel you have to worry about Valentino.”

“Thanks, Char,” Angel said as he started downstairs. “I’m going to unpack and get settled in.”

“Um Angel,” Charlie hesitantly asked. Angel paused though he had a sneaking feeling he wouldn’t like the question. “Can I have Valentino’s personal number? It’s just that he does need to be informed that you will not be there for anything scheduled for the rest of the week. I’m hoping that I can come to an agreement with him so nothing like what happened the other night happens again.”

“He isn’t someone you reason with,” Angel pointed out. “Are you sure you want to talk to him”

“I know he’s dangerous,” Charlie stated. “But...as a denizen of Hell, he does need to obey the commands of the royal family. He may not be someone I want as an enemy, but I am also not someone he would want to see as an adversary. I do want him to understand there are some things that are beginning to concern me, and I don’t want them to be an issue.”

Angel closed his eyes as he digested this explanation. Being the Princess of Hell, Charlie did hold more power than most demons gave her credit. Just because she preferred to approach things diplomatically didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of using force when the situation called for it. 

_“Angel...Angel...Angel, how naive you are, did you think I wouldn't notice that you seemed to gain some friends in rather high places?"_

_"If ya’ meaning Lucifer’s daughter, I wouldn't call her a friend...she's more of a...you know a housemate...a really annoying one."_

Val had known enough about her to understand what sort of threat she could be. Though he may not have fully understood what sort of threat she actually was to him. When it came to Angel Dust people had learned the hard way that underestimating him and what he was capable of could be a fatal mistake. While he personally had never actually witnessed Charlie go off on anyone, he did get the feeling that underestimating her possibly could be a serious mistake as well. As far as the totem-pole of power in Hell stood, Charlie was only trumped by her father which was understandable as he was the King of Hell itself. Still, it was easy to overlook how dangerous she could be since her appearance and demeanor was rather misleading.

“Alright,” Angel said he opened his eyes. “Can I write it down for you?” 

“Sure,” Charlie said she walked to the kitchen. Opening a drawer she pulled out a notepad with a pen which she handed to him as she returned. Angel scribbled down the phone number and reluctantly handed the pen and pad back. 

“I hope you know what you are doing,” Angel said. “Val doesn’t take losing credibility lightly.”

The blond-girl smiled as she took the notepad and patted him on the arm in appreciation. “I’ll let you and Cherri know when breakfast is ready.” Angel didn’t respond as he went downstairs to check out the bedrooms. She knew he was risking a lot in permitting this, but it was something that needed to be done. It was better Valentino be aware Angel was unavailable so that way he didn’t show up at the hotel looking for him. True there was likely to be some backlash later on, but Charlie was going to offer an olive branch first.

“Charlie, please tell me you aren’t seriously going to call Valentino,” Vaggie hissed as soon as Angel was out of earshot.

“I have to,” Charlie said as she went into her father's study and picked up the phone on the desk to dial the number. “One of the first things when dealing with an Overlord is diplomacy. He crossed a line the other night when he kept Angel behind at the studio, I need him to understand that I can’t tolerate something like that occurring.”

“Didn’t Vox say something about Angel being treacherous before he left?” Vaggie pointed out. “And Angel hasn’t exactly been honest with us about certain things.”

“Vox is associated with Valentino,” Charlie responded. “So anything he says is only meant to fit their favor. Angel appears to have problems trusting other people due to how he has been treated by them. Still, he has revealed things to us that he didn’t have to. I get this feeling that Angel does want to talk to people about what is really happening...but no one aside from Cherri has cared to listen. And there is still something else preventing him from revealing what is happening as well. So we have to find answers through other sources.” Dialing the number Angel had given her she let it ring, but pressed the speaker-phone mode so Vaggie could also hear the conversation. 

“Valentino here,” Val’s voice picked up after several rings. “I don’t know how you got my private number, so you better have a good reason for interrupting my time.”

“This is Princess Charlie Magne,” Charlie answered with a business-like tone. 

“Oh…” Val’s tone seemed to change at the unexpected voice on the phone. “Why hello Princess, always happy to offer any services to the royal family. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yes, I’m calling about one of your employees,” Charlie answered. “Angel Dust...I believe you are aware he lives at my hotel.”

“Of course,” Val said. “Has he done something you don’t approve of? I’ll be more than obliged to make sure he receives the proper discipline if he’s being a problem.”

“As a matter of fact,” Charlie said as she took a seat in her father's desk chair, there was something in Valentino’s voice that she didn’t like. Glancing up at Vaggie she could tell the female moth demon was also disgusted by what she was hearing. “Yes, there are some things that I am finding rather concerning. For some time now, Angel has been working rather late hours at your studio.” 

“Well, I do run a vital entertainment business,” Valentino excused. “We have a number of film shoots scheduled for this month alone. Angel is one of my star performers and has to be on set until shooting is done for the day.”

“He also hasn’t been sleeping well,” Charlie stated, “ And he hasn’t been eating either.”

“Well…” Val answered “I do assure you I do give Angel Cakes sometimes where he can rest in his dressing room. And I do require that my stars maintain a certain body figure, I'm sure you understand how demanding this sort of business is, the camera also adds pounds so can't allow my stars to look like they have too much meat on their bones.” 

“And a couple of nights ago,” Charlie continued, the sclera of her eyes turned red at the memory. “Angel didn’t return to the hotel at all. And when he returned last night, he collapsed in an exhausted heap on the lobby floor.”

“Well he is a user,” Valentino pointed out like that explained everything. “He was paid that night, so he likely went to a local drug den to snort some dust.”

“Really,” Charlie said, not really believing the explanation. “I don’t see how that would prevent him from returning to the hotel. I understand that...Vox broke up with you recently.”

“Oh...right,” Val said, trying to incorporate that into his explanation. “Angel’s phone battery died before he left for the drug den, but when he came back he wanted to spend time comforting his Daddy. My heart has just been aching since Voxy left me.”

“So let me understand what you are saying,” Charlie commented knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Val was lying. “You weren’t keeping him at the studio against his will?” 

“Nope,” Valentino responded. “And if that araña puta (whoring spider) told you I had raped him, he’s lying. He’s manipulative and seeks out the people who will work in his favor, and he’ll tell you sob stories to create a whole sympathy act. I’ve seen him do this when I originally bought him from the Stygian Dream Casino years ago.”

“So you were just punishing him for Vox leaving you,” Charlie probed. 

“Exactly…” Val responded. “Wait, I mean...how did...what made you think...I would never hurt my sweet little Angel Cakes. I think of him as if he was my own son.”

“Angel never said anything about being *raped*,” Charlie said firmly. “When he regained consciousness at the hotel he only said that you were having ‘one of your breakups with Vox’, and that you were punishing him because of it. If anyone said anything about sexualized assault, it was you.”

“I didn’t…” Val said, trying to save face. “My sweet Angel Cakes enjoys getting a rough fuck, it’s all consensual...I swear.”

“And I gather the beatings, starvation, isolation, violence threats, and anything else are all consensual too?” Vaggie asked.

“Of course…” Val responded, “Wait...who...who is this?!”

“I have my companion listening in,” Charlie stated. “I regard her as my advisor and one of my bodyguards. She is here as a witness to this conversation. I believe I have heard everything I need to hear.”

“Hang on,” Val stated. “Is Angel there, if he is with you put him on this phone right now.”

“I don’t think he has anything to say to you or ever,” Charlie commanded. “If this is how you treat your employees, then as Princess of Hell and Heir to the throne...”

“Now hold on Princess,” Valentino said. “I don’t know what Angel Dust has told you, but you should know...he is a criminal. Oh yes...I was quite shocked to hear this, but he is actually the younger son of Henroin. The head of the Ragno Family. Angel Cakes claims he has no interest in the Mafia. But is more involved than he lets on, he took on a notorious cartel of shark demons on his own. Shot every single one of them and smiled at the carnage. And both Angel and that girly friend of his have destroyed several clubs in the city...for fun.”

“As Princess of Hell,” Charlie stated, not letting Val’s slanderous words get to her. 

“And what about your father?” Valentino said.

“My...dad?!” Charlie asked in surprise. What would her father want with the porn studio? 

“Oh yeah,” Val explained. Charlie could hear the vile grin spread across his face. “Old Luci is one of my VIP clients and Angel is one of his personal favorites. I take it Angel Cakes, never told you about that. Don’t believe me, the last time Angel pleasured his Apple Daddy, was two nights ago. I even have an audio clip to prove it really is Luci-Baby if you need further proof.” Before Charlie could say anything she could hear something being clicked on before she could hear her father's voice. 

_“I recall hearing that you are at that hotel my darling Charlotte is running,..._ _I do hope you are being good to her, my Charlotte can be flighty and doesn’t always think things through, but she does have a good head on her shoulders. Sometimes I wonder if she cares a little too much. Then again not everybody would see something redeemable in most demons...at least not in a whore like you.”_

“Can I hear that again?” Charlie asked, not believing what she had just listened to. Immediately there was a garbled noise before Charlie heard her father's voice. 

_“I recall hearing that you are at that hotel my darling Charlotte is running,”_

_“Uh-huh…”_

_“_ _I do hope you are being good to her, my Charlotte can be flighty and doesn’t always think things through, but she does have a good head on her shoulders. Sometimes I wonder if she cares a little too much. Then again not everybody would see something redeemable in most demons...at least not in a whore like you.”_

Once again Charlie shook her head not understanding what she was hearing. Angel was hard to hear, he wasn’t talking but he was saying something confirming Lucifer’s question. 

“I want to hear the recording one more time,” Charlie commanded. 

_“I recall hearing that you are at that hotel my darling Charlotte is running,”_

_“Uh-huh…”_

_“_ _I do hope you are being good to her…”_

Charlie closed her eyes as she listened to the cadence of each voice. Lucifer sounded smug and self proud like always. But Angel...he sounded tired...ashamed...he didn’t sound like he enjoyed the experience. Even her father's word of…

 _“Then again not everybody would see something redeemable in most demons...at least not in a whore like you.”..._ fell like an unneeded smack in the face. 

“So you see...Princess,” Val said self-righteously. “If Lucifer comes calling and wants Angel Cakes, I’ll just have to come to get him back.”

 _“Y_ ou can tell my father,” Charlie said firmly “That Angel Dust no longer works at your studio and he will have to talk to me personally if he has a problem with that. As Princess of Hell and Heir to the Throne, all services Angel Dust owes you have been paid.”

“Hang on,” Valentino growled. “Angel Dust is scheduled for a film shoot this morning...”

“I will pay off anything he misses today,” Charlie acquiesced. “But you will need to find replacements for him from now on.”

“And what do you plan on doing when this hotel of yours fails.” Valentino snarked. “Don’t say it won’t because it’s obvious to everyone that it will...this demon redemption thing is…”

“An unproven theory,” Charlie admitted. “And there is no proof that it can work. But...I know there are demons out there that are good people who have just made choices during their lives that Heaven didn’t like. I believe souls who are sent to Hell are capable of redemption and entering Heaven. Even if Angel isn't able to be redeemed, he isn't beyond hope of turning his existence around. And from what I have come to see through this conversation is that one of the major things preventing him from any positive change is being with someone like you. I have already started thinking of Angel and everyone else at the hotel as my family. And I swear to you and on the Seven Rings of Hell, that you don’t want to make me your enemy. If you attack the hotel, if you target or hurt Angel or anyone in any way. I will make sure you regret it even if I have to erase you myself.” Valentino let out an oily disgusting laugh. 

“You...erase me…?” Valentino chortled. “Please, you don’t have the guts to kill a fly, what makes you believe you stand a chance at destroying me?”

“Well,” Charlie said. “I may not take pleasure in hurting others as you do, business reasons or not. But just because I am a princess doesn’t mean I am a pushover. If you approach or harm Angel ever again I will...bring all the power I hold in Hell upon you!”

Hanging up the phone she brought her hands to her face as though trying to fight back tears. She looked up when she felt Vaggie’s hand on her shoulder. 

“Oh Vaggie,” Charlie said as she hugged her girlfriend close.

“It’s alright hun,” Vaggie responded and she returned her lover's embrace. 

“No…” Charlie said. “No it isn’t, I could sense pain when I first met him. I didn’t know what was causing it then, but I do now. And I may as well have been hurting him myself...my dad...he.”

“He probably never said anything,” Vaggie sighed. “Either because he didn’t know how to tell you. Or he didn’t want to be the one to destroy what you knew and believed about your father. Still, what you did today is prove yourself as someone people would see worthy of following. I know I am proud to follow at your side and others would be too.”

“Hey girls,” Cherri called from downstairs. “Charlie, Vaggie?! I think somethings wrong with Angie.”

“What’s happening?” Vaggie asked in concern.

“I don’t know…” Cherri said. “He was trying to sleep off the storm and he just started convulsing.”

“Shit, that sounds like he’s having a seizure,” Vaggie said. “I’ll be down there in a second, just try and carefully roll him onto his side.”

“Okay,” Cherri said as she darted back into the room.

* * *

Vaggie rushed downstairs glancing into the room she saw Cherri dart into. Sure enough, Angel’s limbs had gone rigid and he had gone into spasms. Froth bubbled at the side of his mouth. Cherri had managed to pull off the shirt he had been wearing hoping to ease any restrictions and was trying to gently roll him over onto his side.

“Here,” Vaggie said as she got onto Angel’s other side and assisted with rolling him over. After a couple of minutes, the convulsions ceased and he fell limp. 

“What happened?” Charlie asked. “Is that part of his sensitivity to the weather?”

“No,” Cherri said. “I’ve seen him being affected by storms and it’s never been like this.”

“When was the last time he took drugs?” Vaggie inquired.

“Hard to say,” Cherri admitted. “He’s been spacing out the drug use so around four maybe five days ago. You believe this is withdrawal?”

“Yes,” Vaggie responded. “I think this could be due to withdrawal.”

“He uses PCP as a form of self-medication,” Cherri explained. “The time he was from they didn’t really deal with mental shit. Not unless you were seen as bad enough to be taken to an asylum.” 

“Alastor had suggested that the drug use was a habit he turned to when he was alive,” Charlie said as she sat down on the bed and lightly stroked the fur on Angel’s arm.

“I don’t know much about Henroin,” Vaggie admitted. “But what I have heard about him, he’s a real bastard. I don’t think I blame Angel on turning to drugs...having a father like that. And if Angel is his second son, I don’t even want to think about how messed up his older brother or any other siblings could be.”

Charlie didn’t answer as she came across something papery within the soft downy fur covering Angel’s arm. Hidden within a soft pink stripe in his fur was a raised and puckered spot of flesh like the lit end of a cigarette had been pressed against Angel’s shoulder. Glancing along his nude backside she could make out several other scars hidden among the soft whitish-pink and rosy-pink filaments that covered Angel’s body. The soft fur covered these flaws for the most part, and a makeup team would have made sure there wasn’t any sign of them. And now, now that she thought about it, she had never seen Angel wear anything that wasn’t long-sleeved. Even that striped suit jacket he often wore, he treated it like it was armor.

“Should we just let him sleep?” Cherri asked.

“Someone should stay with him,” Vaggie responded. “Until he’s awake and alert.”

“I can do that,” Charlie volunteered. “Vaggie can you handle breakfast,”

“Sure,” Vaggie agreed. “Cherri, I could use someone to set the table.”

“O...kay,” Cherri responded as she hesitantly left the room after the female moth demon. Getting up Charlie picked up the v-necked shirt Angel had been wearing which now rested strewn along a chair in the corner of the room. Tenderly, the blond princess draped the garment over Angel’s body like a blanket. Pulling the chair up to Angel’s bedside she gently stroked his hair 

“I’m sorry, Angel,” She whispered tearfully as she watched him unconsciously sleep. “I am so, sorry. I don’t know what you did in life to be sent here, but it couldn’t be bad enough to deserve everything you’ve gone through. I wish I knew of someone I can seek out, someone who can help me find a way to help you.” Leaning down she lightly placed a kiss on his temple before she settled back into the chair


	12. Chapter 12

A red smoke cigarette glowed in the darkened office as its owner gazed out of his penthouse window at the city. The Moth inwardly seethed at everything that had transpired today. Lucifer’s little bitch of a daughter had the nerve to dictate that his property no longer belonged to him. 

The number she had called him from was a secure line, but there were some scattered pings from outside the city. Lucifer had other property outside the city that was a known fact. He didn’t know or care why she would have gone to one of her family's private retreats but wouldn’t have just left her hotel, not without reason. While she had not said Angel was with her, the protective tone she used as she spoke made it sound like he was. Wherever the Spider had managed to scurry off to it was somewhere no doubt associated with the Princess of Hell  
True to the princess’s word she had wired him money for the shoot that had to be canceled that day. But it would be a bitch to inform his directors that the shoots that had Angel on the docket would now have Summer, Dia, or both girls instead. The two girls were popular, but they didn’t bring the crowds or the money Angel did.   
How or why Angel managed to land on her radar was beyond imagining. Still, despite her threats about not being someone, he wanted as an enemy. She wasn’t a very powerful figure in the Seven Circles of Hell as far as he knew. She was more of a born pacifist if anything. How someone like Lucifer and Lilith could produce something like her Val had no clue. Yet, even if she wasn’t all that influential, she still was rather wealthy. 

That was one of the assets that Valentino always liked best about Angel, he was attractive to the rich and the influential. Even Lucifer himself had selected Angel Dust as a particular companion when he just couldn’t get the satisfaction he needed with Lilith. 

Reaching into his desk Valentino took out a phone. Angel Dust wasn’t the only one who had a secret phone for private contacts. Scrolling through the contact list he landed on the name Henroin.   
To this day Angel had no idea that his father was the one who had sold him into Valentino’s hands. A vile grin spread across the Moth’s face at the thought of how Angel would react once he learned it was his own flesh and blood that had delivered him into bondage and slavery. But that was something he would hold onto until the time was right. No sense in revealing all the cards in his hand just yet.   
The Mafia Spider had contacted the mothy Overlord some decades ago requesting some territory that Valentino had obtained in a turf war. The Spider and his first-born son were certainly helpful in supplying drugs for Valentino’s drug dens and had been useful allies at times. So the Overlord was all too happy to learn what the Mafioso was going to offer in exchange for this territory. 

* * *

_“I have a second son that exists here in Hell,” the Mafioso’s deep grating voice answered. “Even though he’s my kid...he’s a worthless drug addict, and don’t want nothen’ to do with the family business. Which makes him useless to me... but maybe he might be a greater use to you. That brat is a whore and takes after his mama, so I’m offering him to you in exchange for the territory. You can find the slut offering his services in entertainin’ the crowds at the "Stygian Dream" Casino. He goes by the name ‘Angel Dust’”_

_The Overlord had agreed to take a look at the boy since the "Stygian Dream" Casino was a high-end facility. They didn’t put just any demon under their employ into servicing the clientele. Most often if you were bought by the house, if you weren’t something they could offer to entertain the guests. You became part of something that was fed to the guests. And he was glad he had decided to check out the boy that Henroin had been offering to see what sort of use he could offer. The Spider was quite attractive and made full use of his gaunt effeminate frame. His face was one of his best features from what the moth could see. If Henroin hadn’t told him that this was his son, Valentino never would have believed it. The only physical proof of relation to Henroin was Angel’s single dark eye. But everything else about his appearance was the complete opposition to the Mafioso’s darker appearance and nature._

The boy also had a well thought out tactic of offering his services towards the patrons who had the most influence or wealth. The ones he knew would be of great if not useful benefit to him. Though that didn’t mean he was going to easily offer himself to just anyone as he did show he was open to scrapping with a few drunk patrons who decided to get a bit too handsy with him. Valentino could feel his loins harden at the thought of breaking such a spirited whore. 

_“See something you like on our Angel Dust?” The Casino Manager asked as he approached the moth._

_“Yes,” Valentino said. “How much is he?”_

_“For the night?” The manager asked._

_“No…” Valentino purred. “I’d like to buy him from you, how much is he worth?”_

_“Oh, he’s about 300,500$.” The Manager replied. “He’s one of our prized entertainers. I must warn you that he can be problematic as a number of his clients have been seriously injured by him. And he can be_ _rather mouthy as well. He is also known to pull some rather expressive tantrums where he has tossed some rather expensive bottles of wine at clients and the wall. And he adamantly refuses to do any sort of fetishes involving his feet.”_

_“I’m familiar with whores such as him,” Valentino smiled. “I’ve broken in my share of them in my lifetime, and in Hell I can do so much more. I’m starting a studio and I need a face to really sell my business. An associate of mine told me about him and said he might be worth something. And he was right, I see so much potential in that child...so much potential.”_   
_The Spider Demon had attracted the attention of what looked like one of the Goetial Demons. The come hither smirk on his face became a smile of triumph as he was handed a few souls in advance by his client before leading him away to perform his pleasures._

_“I’ll summon him to my office once he’s done entertaining his client.” The manager said._

_“I’ll be waiting for him in my limo.” Valentino said, “Yes... that boy will be perfect for what I have in store.”_

_An hour ticked by before the Casino’s manager came out dragging Angel Dust by the arm._

_“I got ya the souls ya wanted,” The Spider protested. “I should be free now,”_

_“You should have gotten me the money before I sold you to this Gentleman, here.,” The manager said. “But all this should cover any damages and expenses that putting up with you has cost this establishment. If you weren’t so highly valued, you would be fortunate to have not found your scrawny carcass served during the evening buffet. I’m just glad I don’t have you as a problem anymore. Now be a good little slut and do what your *new* master tells you.”_

* * *

Putting the phone down the Moth took a couple more drags of his cigarette as he considered the situation. Angel had always been the most difficult of his whores. He had plied him enough over the years for the slutty spider to instinctively cower in fear and become submissive. But that didn’t mean he didn’t resist him at every available turn. 

It simply didn’t do well for his credibility to know a whore had escaped. All it took was one, and then sooner or later another got it into their heads that escaping would be a good idea. Then another...and eventually all the whores under his control would begin to get it into their heads that they could escape too. Angel wouldn’t be able to hide out wherever he was forever though. The Princess would need to return to her project and Angel would doubtlessly return with her. Even if he chooses to hide at the hotel, he will need to leave it at some point. The boy’s dependence on drugs as a form of escape from pain and trauma he experienced had certainly been helpful. As that depleted his meager earnings into the drug dens that Valentino owned. 

According to what Val knew about this hotel, the people who were involved had to give up their addictions as part of their agreement when they joined. Angel was too much of an addict to effectively remain clean for very long. Even if he was able to keep up the pretense of sobriety he had ways of hiding drugs or accessing them in places his caretakers couldn’t catch him. He just needed to make sure they didn’t catch him while he was high.

  
Val supposed the last time Angel had been able to use drugs at all had to have been a few days ago. Which would mean he’d be entering a withdrawal period fairly soon if he wasn’t already. He’d practically be crying out for the need for drugs as the withdrawal set in. And even if he made it past the detox phase, there is still the depressive funk and other more long-term effects that will follow. The boy wouldn’t last, he’d be back to craving drugs before long. Even if the craving had to be forced upon him. 

  
All Angel would need is some excuse to leave the Happy Hotel. A coffee run, a visit to the clubs, anything...and he would find himself in that “Special Room” until he was broken for good.  
“Enjoy your taste of freedom while you have it, Angel Dust.” Val smirked, “I’ll have you back soon enough, and I’ll make you an example of what happens when whores forget their place.”

* * *

He felt a sense of disorientation as he started to wake up. His brain felt foggy, it also hurt like he had a headache on top of that.   
“Angel…” Someone said his name in concern. A female voice...but who? It wasn’t Summer or Dia. “Angel…,” the voice spoke again. It was definitely someone familiar. A dainty hand cautiously placed itself on top of his as he blearily opened his eyes to find Charlie gazing back at him with a mixture of concern and relief. Nuggets snuffled as the tiny demon pig trotted up to him his wet piggy snout nudged his cheek as though trying to encourage him to wake up. 

The first thing he registered was this was not his room at the hotel. The second thing he registered was that he was topless. Finding the white v-neck shirt he had previously been wearing draped over him he hugged it over his chest for modesty. Charlie was hurriedly trying to explain something about why his shirt was suddenly a blanket but none of her words made sense to him at that moment. 

“I’ll…,” Charlie said, sensing his discomfort. Getting up she started for the door. “I’ll let you get dressed. Cherri and Vaggie are likely done making breakfast.” Once the blond girl was out of sight, Angel hurriedly put his shirt back on. He braced a hand against the quilted blankets underneath him. He had only been sleeping on top of the covers so the bedding was only slightly wrinkled. Part of him wanted to curl under covers and block out the world around him and the storm outside. But, his body felt warm...uncomfortably so. Not feverish hot, but it felt like he was baking in his own fur. Sitting up Angel brought a hand to head as he started to stand up. His body was able to move through his head felt like a bowl of cioppino. Making his way into the outside hall he could hear the three girls talking upstairs. The smell of scrambled eggs, toast, fried potatoes, and bacon greeted his nostrils. His stomach growled in response, but his attention turned to the glass door leading to an outside deck area. 

The bottom-floor deck was sheltered by the deck on the main floor. But it was still exposed to the elements as the gusting wind lashed the driving sheets of rain about. Angel walked towards the glass door and opened it, stepping out into the cold, wet world beyond the glass. He paid the rain little notice as she stumbled to a pair of swinging chairs that hung from the deck ceiling close to an open side of the lower deck that has a staircase that descended from the main floor down to a small fire pit. Settling into one of the swings he let his mind go as numb as he emotionally felt.

_“I wouldn’t have to punish you if you don’t resist me, Angel Cakes. You honestly believe I enjoy hurting you this way? I only do this because you force me to do this to you.”_

_“I like seeing tears...It makes you look so breakable. Tears also make you look like the little bitch that you are.”_

_“I wouldn’t bother saying anything about any of this...no one would believe you anyway.”_

* * *

“Is Angie awake?” Cherri asked as Charlie came upstairs from the lower floor. The blond girl visually noted that the table was set for four and a warm welcoming fire had been set in the fireplace. Outside the rain was pouring down in sheets drenching the outside deck and the forested area surrounding the luxury cabin.

“Yes,” Charlie confirmed. “He woke up a couple of minutes ago. He was somewhat disoriented but seemed okay otherwise.”

“If this is withdrawal,” Vaggie stated. “Having him rest as much as possible would be the best thing he can do. This isn’t going to be over instantaneously. He will likely be undergoing withdrawal and have cravings for drugs for the next several months.” 

“Fortunately,” Charlie affirmed. “That is why we are here. So Angel has a place where he actually can rest and be away from the studio. Two weeks isn’t long, but…”

“It’s longer than that asshole would give him.” Cherri bitterly finished as she pulled a bacon strip from the warming tray on the counter and bit into it. 

Charlie wrapped her arms around herself in agreement. For years Angel had been fighting in a battle he shouldn’t have been facing. She could feel the years of pain exhaustion to the point where she could see and feel every raw and festering wound upon his soul. He was tired and sore struck from all of the abuse and torture he had experienced. Cherri and Fat Nuggets gave him a reason to endure it, while drugs had been a crutch he used as a means of escaping and distancing himself from the pain. But now even that couldn’t alleviate the toll that was being waged upon the Porn Star’s mind, body, and spirit. As fragile as he is now, there was no way Valentino would have allowed him the time to recover. He would have allowed Angel to break and took whatever victory that gave him. How many times had Angel cried himself to sleep or waited until he was alone to give in to his tears? How many times had he felt like giving up? It pained her to think how long this had been going on. And what happened before Valentino, What sort of things occurred before him? In the confession, Angel had given them he had said he was bartered into the winnings at a Casino by a former lover and was abandoned there. Valentino had said he had bought Angel at the “Stygian Dream” in her conversation with him. She made a mental note to herself to see if Husk knew anything about that particular casino, what sort of reputation it had. She never actually visited any of the gambling facilities in the city, but she had heard things about some of them having a bad reputation. She also had a strange feeling that told her that Valentino hadn’t discovered Angel by chance. 

Such as how Valentino specifically mentioned Angel’s father. Angel had mentioned he had familial associations with the mob. But only as a means of indicating he had personal knowledge about how drug deals went down. Not basing experience on something he did in one of his films. And Husk had pointed out Angel had imparted that he had a father and brother in the Mafia, no word about who they were. Still, that was enough for Husk to suspect who they could be. Yet, Valentino had stated Angel was the second-born son of Henroin like it was a confirmed fact. Something was beginning to unravel and she didn’t like what was being revealed, but she wanted to know all the facts before she jumped to any conclusions. 

“Brunch will be ready in a few minutes,” Vaggie as she gave a pan of frying potatoes a stir.

“Great,” Charlie said, glad to let go of her thoughts for a moment. “I’ll go let Angel know.”

“I can do that,” Cherri volunteered. Charlie softly smiled in response, Cherri could be chaotic at times but when it mattered she was a good friend. She was certainly someone Angel trusted...or trusted more than most.

“Thank you,” the Princess responded. “But I have a few things I feel I do need to have a talk with him, and I want to get that underway as soon as possible. I hope you don’t mind.” The Cyclops’s expression dropped with disappointment.

“Fine,” Cherri sighed as she dejectedly went to sit on the couch. “Let me know when I’m actually needed around here.”

“Will you need me,” Vaggie asked Charlie in concern. She didn’t expect Angel to be hostile or anything, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t concerned about what sort of frame of mind the spider demon could be in at that moment.

“I’ll be fine Vaggie,” Charlie said as she walked back downstairs. “I won’t be long, but you two can get started with breakfast.”

* * *

Reaching the downstairs landing she noticed the sliding glass door to the lower deck was slightly ajar allowing cold air to seep into the hallway. Glancing into the primary room Angel had taken as his during their stay and found Fat Nuggets curled peacefully on the bed but Angel nowhere in sight. She glanced further into the room but heard no sound from anywhere in the room or even the primary bathroom as part of the sleeping area. Continuing towards the end of the hall Charlie only casually glanced into Cherri’s room as she passed it, but had assumptions that Angel would be there.  
Reaching the sliding door Charlie cautiously opened it. She shivered at the blast of cold wet air that greeted her as the glass door slid whisper-quiet along its track. Peeking her head out she scanned the deck until her eyes finally caught sight of Angel seating in one of the swinging chair seats. He was seated sideways along the two-person seat with his knees drawn up to his chest for all of Hell to see. Charlie could feel her heart break at how lost and alone he looked at this moment. Mentally she debated in maybe going back and getting Cherri, the punky bomber-girl understood the spider better than anyone. But after a few moments, the Hell-born princess braved going out into the wet and the cold. She knew Vaggie would be appalled at her for this sighting how she could make herself sick or any other misfortunes caused by rainy weather. The cold however didn’t bother Charlie as she used some of her demonic power to heat up her body as she approached where Angel was sitting. 

* * *

_Flashback-1993_

_Angel’s back went rigid as he felt a familiar presence behind him. Not a threatening presence, but not a friendly one either. Glancing behind him he made note of a spider demon standing behind him._   
_The spider demon was short...about half Angel’s height. The way he stood hunched over only made him look smaller in stature. His fur color was deep grayish-black, the fur that counted as his hair was frowsy and unkempt, topped with a black fedora hat. He was dressed in a black suit jacket, the tail of which flared out in three points. Underneath the jacket was a white dress shirt. The white bowtie he wore around his neck flared out in a manner that made it look like claws. The trousers he wore were also white. His legs were oddly shaped as his knees were awkwardly bowed over his skinny stick-like appendages ending in tiny feet with two clawed toes. He had two normal-sized eyes, then a trio of smaller eyes formed a line just above, and another trio of eyes just below his main eyes. The sclera of each of them was a reddish-pink color with a single pupil that was nothing but a hard black line._ _Angel couldn’t help but smirk in amusement. Despite knowing the demon behind him was dangerous and gave off an air of intimidation. This appearance was almost adorable compared to the person that Angel had once known him to be._

  
_“Chow, Fratello!” Angel said in greeting. "Or maybe I should say 'Fratallino maggiore'_

_“Don’t call me that,” The spider demon groused._

_“Whatever,” Angel waved away the complaint. “Seriously, learn to take a joke one of these days. Anyway is there anything you need ‘cause you're kinda scaring the johns away.”_

_“Just trying to understand all this.” The second Spider demon stated waving the hand holding a lit cigarette towards his taller brother._

_“This…” Angel responded realizing that the smaller demon was indicating the lifestyle he had chosen. “This is just businesses.”_

_“Just business, huh.” The second spider grumbled not buying the explanation. “If you think this all this makes you look like something, all it does is make you look cheap. The only thing good about Molly not winding up in Hell is she doesn't have to see what you've become...”_

_“Like you even know or care why I'm doing this, Enzo” Angel started to say “Oh, I forgot you like being called Arackniss now.”_

_“Bother that…” Arackness answered. “What I want to know is how you could hurt your own sister the way you did? I had a front-row seat to watching her destroy herself after you overdosed, Anthony. I was there when she took her own life, but all you seemed to care about was yourself and your stupid drug obsession." Angel hugged his lower arms around himself in shock. He knew he shouldn't be too surprised about his sister's fate, after all the two of them were close. As twins, they were as one soul in two bodies. He liked to believe that she had been able to grow into being an old woman and died peacefully in her sleep, or at least that was the delusion he preferred to dwell on. One of his main hands going to his face to halt a cry, he wouldn't shed tears...not here._

_“See this is your problem, Anthony,” Arackness shouted taking his taller brother's refusal to show remorse as a lack of empathy. “You don’t think consequences apply to you. When are you going to grow up and realize your actions affect those around you?”’ Angel looked like he was about to answer, but he glanced up as a red limo pulled up._

_“Angel sweetie…” Valentino said as he got out. “Is there a problem here?”_

_“Nothing boss,” Angel sighed “Arackniss was just leaving.”_

_“Oh yes,” Valentino smirked. “You’re Henroin’s boy, right.”_

_“One of them…” Arackniss responded as he eyed Angel for an explanation “Tony...what’s going on” Angel shrug in response his eyes regarding Valentino as the one who held all the answers._

_“I assure you Angel Dust is quite happy with me,” Valentino stated. “Quite happy indeed. Go ahead tell him how happy you are.”_

_“Yes,” Angel responded, though he looked less than enthused. “Yes, I’m happy with the care ‘Daddy Valentino’ is giving me.”_

_“Angel Dust…?” Arackniss asked. “Ya named yourself after the shit that took your life?!”_

_“Come along, Angel Cakes,” Val demurred “Let’s go to a friendlier corner.”_

_“Yes Daddy,” Angel responded as he climbed into Valentino’s limo and closed the door behind him. He glanced out the window at his older brother as they drove away._

_“You don’t need him, Sweetheart,” Valentino stated. “Remember how he used to treat you. Only I know how to take care of you properly.”_

* * *

Angel looked up startled by an unexpected hand landing on his shoulder. Charlie softly smiled at him in response

“Breakfast is ready,” The blond princess stated.

"Oh..." Angel said somewhat distractedly. "Thanks for letting me know."

“Why are you sitting out here?" Charlie asked in concern as to why he would be out sitting in the storm. 

“Just running through my thoughts,” Angel started. 

“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable inside?” Charlie asked in concern. Angel gave no reply so she settled in the second chair swing. The two sat for a few moments of awkward silence. 

“How did the call with Val go?” Angel finally inquired after a few moments of silence between them. 

"It was interesting," Charlie responded. 

“There’s the understatement of the morning,” Angel sighed. “I could have told talking to him was a waste of time.”

“I needed to call him to let him know you wouldn’t be in the studio today,” Charlie stated. “I’m glad I did, I never knew how much he was hurting you until now.”

“What...what did he tell you?” Angel asked cautiously. 

“He basically admitted to everything he did to you,” Charlie explained. Angel looked up startled by the statement, turning his face towards her, his darker eye seeking clarification. 

"He just came out and told you?" Angel asked skeptically.

"Well, not openly," Charlie admitted. "He told us what he believed you had informed us about what he did and said you were making the whole thing up. So he basically stuck his foot in his mouth and thought I would believe him over you. I knew he had to have been lying."

“Oh…” Angel sighed. 

“I’ve told him you don’t work for him any longer,” Charlie explained. “I have the status to use my authority to end your employment under him.” Angel was quiet for a moment, it felt strange to hear the words that his employment under Valentino had ended. He wanted to laugh, the notion that he was free felt so unreal. As he continued to process the emotion the quiet elation dimmed as he realized that while he was free of Valentino...he wasn't completely free.

"I'm not free of him, yet," Angel said after a moment. "He sees me as property and he will still try to reclaim what he sees as his."

"I have told him that doing so will be a mistake," Charlie said. "I'm not as powerful as my father, but..."

"There is more to you than the average sinner realizes," Angel completed. 

"I guess you can say that," Charlie admitted. Silence festered between the two demons for a few moments. 

“Does it bother you?” Angel eventually asked

“Does what bother me?” Charlie asked in reply.

“The fact I’m a drug user,” Angel responded.

“Oh that,” Charlie stated. “I’m not happy about it I admit, but...it’s how you’ve dealt with things in the past.”

“Yeah,” Angel sighed despondently. “It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, and I’ve lost so much because of it. But there weren’t many options during the time I was from.”

“Cherri said something about that,” Charlie said. “About how mental health resources weren’t available unless you were sent to a sanitarium.”

“Being openly gay was something that qualified,” Angel stated. “It’s hard knowing things that you see as part of who you are as something that needs to be corrected or marked you for death.”

“Marked you for death?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah,” Angel said. “The mob had a low tolerance for homosexuals and could murder you for being caught outta the closet. Pops in particular gave me a hard time about who I was. He’d call me a queer, and other bad things. My Fratello was hard on me too, but not in the same way Pops was.”

“I see…” Charlie said. “Hey, about...what my dad said to you. About you being a whore...he had no right to say that.”

“I’ve been called worse.” Angel shrugged.

“All the same,” Charlie stated. “You aren’t a whore...if any demon has shown any capability as far as change, you have.”

“This isn’t going to be a judgment on what I’ve needed to do to survive is it?” Angel asked.

“Not unless you feel it should be,” Charlie stated. “The drug use concerns me, and the prostitution concerns me also. But what bothers me more is punishing people for the actions and choices of others. Vox choosing to break up with Valentino had nothing to do with you and there was no reason you needed to be punished because of it.”

“It’s always been that way.” Angel sighed. “When Val’s in a mood about something he wants to take it out on someone and he turns to me or my coworkers.”

“Coworkers?” Charlie asked. “There are others?” 

“Yeah,” Angel sighed. “Summer and Dia, I don’t have what you would call the best relationship with ‘em but the three of us are familiar with what he does to us.” 

“And you said you were related to a crime family,” Charlie explained.

"Technically, I shouldn't even have told you that much..." Angel said as he stood up perched against the railing of the deck. His back to her as he watched the sheets of rain lash the nature scape.

"Because of 'Omerta'," Charlie said, Angel once again regarded her a moment. But nodded his head to confirm that was the reason. 

"Yeah," Angel said. "If a Mafioso made the choice to rat out their family, a hit was put out on 'em. But a hit was also put out on other people as well such as their wife, their kids, the family dog. Anyone they suspected would be associated with that decision. My case was somewhat different since I was never pledged into the family business. Pops and Fratello would keep what they could private but knew they couldn't keep everything secret. So there were moments the two of them would take me aside and tell me they had no problems with putting a bullet in my head if they suspected I was going to talk."

"Henroin, would do this to his own son," Charlie said.

"How did you learn my father's name" Angel asked. His attention fully on Charlie, not accusatory or angry, but he knew for a fact he had never invoked the names of his father or older brother went by.

"Husk had told us about you mentioning having a father and older brother in the mob," Charlie explained. "And he suspected that Henroin could be your father." Angel shoulders eased as the news that it was figured out through speculation. So there wasn't anything officially connecting him to that reveal.

"Though Valentino did say specifically that you were related to Henroin, during our phone call," Charlie said. Angel's eyes widened in shock...how had Val known about that. The times Val had been gaslighting him, he had admitted to being from a toxic family background. But he never specifically said who he was related to, even when Val had encountered him with Arackniss that one time, Val had called Arackniss Henroin's boy, not Henroin's older boy, or anything to admit he was aware of a relation. ~How had...how did Val know I was...?~

"What did he say exactly?" Angel asked, a commanding edge in his tone. He usually didn't speak in this manner and the look on Charlie's face suggested she hadn't expected this tone of voice either. 

"He said that he didn't know what you told me," Charlie admitted. "But I should know you are a criminal, and that you were the younger son of Henroin. He also said that while you claim to have no interest in the Ragno Family, you are more involved than you let on. He mentioned that drug cartel you told Vaggie and me about, though he mentioned you took them all out and took pleasure in doing so which is something you had neglected to mention. He also said you and Cherri have blown up clubs around town. Care to explain how much of that is true?" Angel moved back to the chair swing and sat down. Charlie regarded him patiently as she waited for him to process the information she had just revealed.

"What is true..." Angel sighed after a few moments. "Is yes I am the youngest son of my immediate family, there were three of us in total, there was my older brother...you've likely heard he goes by Arackniss. And then there was my immediate younger sister. She supposedly is the only one of the three of us who didn't wind up here. And, yes I did face off against that Cartel I told you Vaggie about when I was explaining what was going on. What isn't true is my involvement in the Ragno Family. I do not have any interests or involvement with them outside blood relations, but just because I never pledged myself to the family business doesn't mean I didn't pick up or gain skills through them, particularly ones I can use to my advantage. Cherri has likely told you she has seen me take out groups of demons on my own. But much like yourself, I'm not someone to be underestimated. With my older brother...you can tell right away from the moment you see him he is not someone you want to mess with. When it comes to temperament, his fuze is shorter than he is. With me, I often take a more defensive tactic in that I would present myself as someone who isn't a threat. Being a sex worker for example has enabled me to get close to people that could provide information or resources I need. In other cases, if people assume your intelligence is on the low end of the spectrum, they drop their guard and reveal things they wouldn't if they were aware you were listening in, or they completely forget you are even there. Occasionally I have had encounters with people who assume that just because I'm not an overlord like Valentino or Alastor, have a reputation like my father or older brother, or even influence such as Vox, that I'm someone they can take advantage of. They quickly find out that judgment is a fatal mistake, I don't erase the people I face off against. They are able to revive, but they still experience every painful moment that revival takes. When I took out the cartel, I left the leader still conscious. While I was questioning him there was a shot from overhead, completely erasing the guy, but that's how I knew Val had found out where I was. As for the clubs, that is absolutely not true. Cherri has dropped the idea of blowing some of the clubs Val owns, such as Club 666. But that is more dumb things to write about in a journal, not seriously go out of your way to do."

"I thought so," Charlie admitted. "There was always something about you that suggested there was more below the surface. I don't hold who you are related to against you, all they are, are people you have blood relations too, but they aren’t family. Family are people who welcome you as one of their own and care about you. Family is what you have with Cherri and at the hotel. Valentino and the studio, they were also like a family...but more of the mockery of one.”

“No arguments there,” Angel stated. “Val liked to say he cared about me more than Pop’s did, but when you really thought about it, things weren’t that different.”

“I hope I can meet your brother someday,” Charlie stated. “If he’s anything like you…”

“You’d actually be surprised Niss and I are even related.” Angel snorted. “Considering he’s 5’4” nothing, dark, and creepy.” 

“He could still be useful,” Charlie pointed out. “Or someone who could help make sure Valentino doesn’t come after you.”

“You should be aware that Niss is a hitman,” Angel stated. “To give ya some idea of what his line of work is.”

“Whatever he can be to help,” Charlie said, “I’ll take it.” There was another awkward silence between the two demons. 

“About the Hotel,” Angel hesitantly asked. “Let’s say it hypothetically doesn’t have the results you were hoping for. What then?”

“You don’t think it will succeed either?” Charlie asked, not hiding her disappointment. 

“It’s hard to say,” Angel sighed after a few minutes of thought. “The idea of souls that have been sentenced to an eternity in Hell being redeemed does come across as far-fetched. Still having these souls being slaughtered indiscriminately by the forces of Heaven doesn’t feel like something that works in Hell’s favor. I don’t want to dismiss your idea, but at the same time, I do feel any possible bases should be covered. That way if Heaven deems sinners as unredeemable, perhaps there could be an alternative .”

“I guess,” Charlie stated. “If my solution to the cleansings doesn’t work...I think the hotel should become a shelter for the souls of sinners who are actually good people but were sentenced to Hell because of something they did in life that Heaven didn’t approve of. I do see people like you, Cherri, your brother, and others as my subjects and all of you do need a fair chance to prove that you are not beyond hope. Such as your sister…she was the only one of your siblings to have made it into Heaven, right?”

“I haven’t been able to find her in the city,” Angel admitted. “Trust me after seventy-odd years, wouldn’t we have been able to find each other by now?”

“I gather you were close with her,” Charlie stated. 

“Closer than you know,” Angel sighed in frustration. “She was the only girl so she was kept to a different standard than my brother and I were.” Once again the two demons drifted into silence. 

“Are you alright?” Charlie asked after a few minutes. “I know you are negatively affected by weather like this”

“I literally feel under the weather,” Angel said with a hollow bitter sounding laugh. “When the weather is bad, yes.” 

“Maybe you should go back inside,” Charlie stated. “Get some rest, I can have Cherri bring you down something to eat in your room,” Angel said nothing in response as he got up and wandered back inside. Charlie eyed him in concern, he didn’t look good. His fur was wet and windswept from the stormy weather. His mismatched eyes looked distant and troubled which only added to his haggard appearance. Charlie had no idea what happened to him...or the full extent of what he had suffered at Valentino’s hands. All she knew was the things Valentino had admitted to. And the fact this is something that had been occurring for a number of years only worried her more. Angel will need time, space, and care to recover from his mental and emotional wounds. And even then there was no guarantee that would even be enough. 

Charlie followed after Angel Dust watching him disappear into his room. Cherri appeared on the staircase eyeing him with concern before her single eye met Charlie’s. The two girls sharing the feeling of helplessness between them, both of them wishing...wanting to say something...do something to free the Spider of the pain he was suffering from. Cherri glumly shook her head before she returned upstairs once again.


	13. Chapter 13

_“Angel” Valentino said, his voice a gentle sounding croon, though there was a dangerous edge just underneath it. It was a tone Angel knew well, it was the way Valentino spoke when he did something that displeased him. “This is the third day in a row that you haven’t made the money you promised me.”_

_“Val,” Angel pleaded. He had been out every night on the street trying to earn enough to appease his employer. It wasn’t that long after the Cleansing had taken place so there hadn’t been a lot of interested customers due to all the turf wars. What few Johns he had been able to entertain didn’t even reach the amount he needed. But it wasn’t the Johns who were at fault. He was the problem...he wasn’t selling himself enough, that’s what it was...he wasn’t putting his all into proving he was worth a blow job or even a lay. “I...I...know I messed up.”_

_“You know how I feel when my whores short change me,” The moth said dangerously._

_“I...I wasn’t tryin’ ta” Angel protested fearfully. “Ah...I’m sorry...I’ll make it up to ya.”_

_“Perhaps you need another session in…” Val said, taking a drag of his cigarette and blowing out the smoke. The red ribbon of airborne ash appeared to solidify as it drifted around Angel’s neck like a leash threatening to constrict around his throat. “The Special room.”_

_“No…Not the room...please...I’ll be good…” Angel begged the smoke disappearing as he felt his arm seized into Valentino’s firm grasp and dragged along behind the larger demon. He struggled to escape the long-fingered clawed appendage clamped around his arm._

_“You’ve been resisting me again,” Val snarled his voice taking on an enraged roar behind his words. “This deserves punishment...I teach you what happens when you fight me.”_

_“I...promise I won’t fight ya,” Angel begged as he continued to struggle. “I’ll do what ya say…”_

_"So you’ve told me before,” Valentino snarled. “And you’ve disobeyed me time and again, wasting MY time and the MONEY I’ve spent you. I will break you yet!” Angel made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as he beat his fists against his captor's arm and shoulder struggling to get Valentino to release him._

_"No…No...” Angel cried out as the familiar chains of the room came into sight. He unleashed his third set of arms so five of his hands had grabbed hold of the door frame trying to prevent himself from being pulled into the room and chained up once more. Valentino’s face twisted into an angry sneer. He gave a firm yank on the arm he held in his grasp. Angel felt his hold on the frame start to slip but he continued to hang on. The moth pimp lunged forward grabbing hold of Angel’s jacket shaking him loose from the door frame tossing him to the floor._

_“No.” Angel let out a whimper as the door slammed shut the metallic hiss._

_“It’s time you learned your place!” Valentino roared as he pinned Angel to the floor. His first set of arms holding down the scrawny spider’s main arms over his head and one of his second pairs of arms to the floor. While Valentino’s second set of arms ripped open Angel’s jacket and pulled down the Spider’s shorts and undergarments in one fell swoop._

_“NOOOOOO!!!!” Angel screamed out in anguish as he began to feel himself being violated by his owner yet again._

* * *

“ANGIE,” He heard someone cry out his name as he came out of his fevered slumber. Gentle arms wrapping around him so his forehead rested against the cool flesh of someone’s shoulder. One arm running up and down along his back. “Just breathe, Angie...just breathe.” Obediently he focused on settling his breathing, letting his body take in some much-needed oxygen as his heart continued to pound in his chest.

“What happened?!’ Vaggie’s voice sounded concerned as she entered the room. 

“I don’t know,” Charlie could be heard saying. Her voice sounded shaken by what she had witnessed. “I think he was having a nightmare or a memory. Either way, it sounded like something really bad.”

“Unfortunately, you are going to need to get used to that,” Cherri said as she continued to try and calm her friend’s frayed nerves. “He’s been through something bad...really bad...decades worth of it. And if he has to sober up, all those years are going to crash land on top of him. Maybe not all at once...but they are going to hit him.”

“One of the things he said during the nightmare was…” Charlie stated. “Was something about a...a...room or something. Did he ever tell you anything about something like that?”

“Uh no...not that I know of,” Cherri admitted though she did feel Angel’s body tense up in her arms at the mention of it. 

“Val calls it the “special room”,” Angel said in hardly more than a whisper. Though his words came across as clearly as though he was shouting them. “It’s not so much a room as much as its a torture chamber.”

“I gather you’ve been in there,” Vaggie said. Her voice sounded angered, but not at Angel. The anger was directed at whoever would hurt another person in a manner such as this. 

“I started my career there…” Angel sighed as he moved away from Cherri. He didn’t look up at any of the three girls. One of his main arms was slung across his gaunt frame, the claws of his hand digging into the flesh of his arm threatening to draw blood. While his second set was hugged around himself. “After Val had bought me, he brought me to his office at the studio so he could “try me out” as he called it. One of the advantages I have in being a spider is that I am poisonous. Not fatally so, fortunately, but in that situation that was probably not so fortunate. 

So while he was attempting to have his way, I bit him and tried to run for it. Unfortunately, his buddy Vox was in the building because he completely took me by surprise. When I regained consciousness I found myself shackled to the wall in “the room”. Valentino then told me over a speaker to get comfortable because he was going to be in there a while. I was left there alone for who knows how many days, Val said it was three, but there was no way to really tell for sure. And that’s when he…” Angel bit his lip painfully at the memory. Fortunately...he didn’t need to explain anything further. The horrified gasp from Charlie was proof enough. 

For a long moment, no one knew what to do or even what to say. Angel continued to look down at the weave of the blankets below him. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the faces of his companions. Even the silence Cherri was giving was disheartening...if she screamed at him about how he couldn’t tell her about this before now. If she had broken down in tears and wrapped her arms around him. He would have understood...he would have expected that. But there was, no sound...no words coming from her. 

Eventually, he felt a hand lightly touch him on the shoulder. He knew it had to be Charlie, the first time she had attempted to comfort him. He had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed her approach and he wasn’t exactly in a mood to be open to her “Do you wanna talk about it?” mindset. She understood that loud and clear as she did back up a couple of steps at the glare of irritation he threw her after she had startled him. Before he turned away from her and went to his room where he could think his thoughts in private. That was probably why every other time she did try to comfort him or talk to him she always waited for her to notice her or let down his guard enough to acknowledge she was there. 

Since he was aware she was in the room, he didn’t jump in surprise when her hand touched his shoulder. Still, he did note a slight hesitancy on her part when she touched his shoulder. Cautiously he glanced up at her...and found her large doe eyes filmed over with tears. 

“I’m sorry,” Charlie whispered. “I’m… I’m so sorry.” He didn’t respond in words, placed one hand on the one that rested on his shoulder. He was vaguely aware of movement from Cherri when the punky girl got off the bed and stalked out the door. There was the sound of a door opening and followed by a slam that made the windows rattle in their frames. Angel winced at that wanting to go after, to smooth over the situation. But honestly...what could he say. Vaggie looked over her other two companions before following the punky girl out onto the deck. Drying her tears on her jacket sleeve, Charlie pulled herself back together again for the time being. 

“You’ve been asleep for a couple of days now,” Charlie inquired. “Would you be interested in eating something...if I brought it to you?” Angel nodded in response, the blond-haired princess left the room and made her way towards the kitchen. Angel in meantime fell back against the pillows and looked dazedly up at the ceiling. He wasn’t tired at the moment...he just felt drained; empty. He didn’t feel as groggy and gross as he had been days earlier so he obviously was beginning to see the other side of this withdrawal. At least the short term part of it, he still wanted drugs though...he guessed the craving would take a while to alleviate. It was just one thing at a time...until he was redeemed or at least able to make a better life for himself in Hell. 

* * *

Vaggie found the blond cyclops sitting on one of the swinging chairs on the downstairs deck. The only sounds breaking the silence was the wind rustling through the trees, the babble of the creek water, and the creek of the chains suspending the dark wood chair off the ground. 

Cherri was pushing her feet against the deck railing as she rocked herself back and forth. Her single bulbous red-eye gazing sourly out at the landscape. Vaggie calmly took a seat in the swing chair next to the 1980’s punk girl. 

“That was a rather intense story he told us,” Vaggie said. “It’s a wonder he even stayed sane given how many years he’d been with Valentino.”

“Oh yeah,” Cherri growled under her breath. “The lot of you are all good friends now. No point in me being an unneeded fourth wheel since you are all spilling your guts to one another.”

“What makes you think you are unneeded?” Vaggie inquired. 

“Oh come on,” Cherri said. “I don’t see him for two weeks...two fucking weeks. You have no idea how much that worried me, I thought he was dead...or Val had done something to him. I even went to his SRO to see if something was up and all his landlords had to tell me was shrug and say he was gone. I just didn’t know what happened, and then when I do finally see him during that turf war some weeks ago he tells me he’d been living in the hotel with you and Charlie. Now ever since he’s told you about everything with Valentino, it’s like I’m part of his past, that I don’t matter anymore. The fact he can trust you with things that he doesn’t have the guts to admit to me. I mean I thought I was his best friend, shouldn’t I have been told about Val’s torture room; shouldn’t I have known that Overlord has used him as his personal sex toy. But no, I don’t get told about that. But you two...two people he hasn’t met before a month ago and he can suddenly tell you about what happened like you have been mates for years.”

“He actually hasn’t told us anything he hasn’t told you,” Vaggie said. “And if it wasn’t for Vox visiting the Hotel, he probably wouldn’t have admitted anything to us before things were out of hand. Even then I’m surprised he openly admitted to anything that’s been going on at all, but I guess he felt he was at a point where things just couldn’t keep silent anymore. The assaults he didn’t need to talk about, Charlie and I already suspected something like this could have occurred after he told us what had been going on, and this just confirmed that. As for the room…” Vaggie paused and lowered her head feeling guilty for judging him as much as she had since the moment she met him. “He only told us about it because he was talking in his sleep during his nightmare. I think that is something we all would have learned about in some way or another.”

“That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have told me,” Cherri said angrily “I’m not somebody who can’t handle certain things just because I’m a girl. He knows I’ve been wanting to get him out of the porn studio. All he needed was to say the word, he’d have been out years ago.”

“I’m not saying he was right for keeping you in the dark,” Vaggie admitted. “But I’m not saying he was wrong to do so either. One of the noblest things I’ve seen him do was have a willingness to put himself in danger for the sake of protecting you and also sparing the Hotel and its occupants from harm. That is something that I never would believe he would have done if I didn’t hear him say it himself. 

“I didn’t ask him to protect me,” Cherri protested. “I’m capable of handling things without the need for someone to protect me. We only look out for one another because we are partners in Hell.”

“That is why he’s protecting you,” Vaggie stated. "He has worked for one Overlord for years and has associations with two others. So he would understand what sort of danger he is in, and he doesn't want to see you get hurt because of him. Think about it, if Valentino can lock him up for a handful of days in his evil...sex dungeon just for defending himself. What could be done to him if you act out to protect him? And even then anything he goes through would pale in comparison to knowing you were hurt or erased as a means of punishing him.” 

“Maybe,” Cherri responded feeling less angry. “I guess seeing how he responds to Charlie...it’s like...it made me feel jealous and shit. It used to be me and him, the two of us united against the world around us. Now that he has more people like you and Charlie. It’s like he and I, we are going our separate ways.”

“Given the history the two of you have, it must feel strange to see other people coming into his life,” Vaggie said. “I admit I don’t have any particular fondness for Angel, but I have tried to see what Charlie sees in him. Even now I still don’t see the person Charlie can see. And maybe I’m not supposed to. Still, the fact he’s gaining other people in his life he doesn’t stop him from being friends with you. He’s just gaining more allies aside from you. Charlie, for instance, has an earnest personality that makes it easy for people to like her, it also makes her appear naive which makes people want to take advantage of her. But she isn’t the pushover must demons assume she is. Someone like Valentino may be an Overlord, but he is also a bully and a monster. He can threaten Angel with promises that he’d show up and kill us all, and make good on that threat now. But as the Hotel grows Valentino can’t face off against all of us, no matter how many times he tries to make it appear that Angel is only gathering more people to be taken from him.”

“I guess I never thought of it like that,” Cherri stated 

“Angel could have been spending those two weeks away from you,” Vaggie pointed out. “As a means of establishing himself at the Hotel and seeing where things went from there. Then when he felt things were serious enough he would have brought you in or encouraged you to take up residence. And Angel did say there were other people Valentino would abuse, even if he himself couldn’t escape he could still help others do so in the meantime. You made the choice to join the hotel because you felt that would be helpful to him, and you still can be helpful. But Charlie is also going to be there for him as well.”

“And what about you?” Cherri asked. 

“Someone needs to be moral support for everyone else,” Vaggie said. “Angel and I have a basic respect for each other, but we do have a tendency to get on each other's nerves. I can’t say I’m someone who can help him with how things currently are, but I can be there for Charlie and You in the meantime. But if Valentino or anyone shows up to take Angel by force or disrupt what we are trying to build, I’ll be one of the people who won’t let that happen, not without a fight.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite for this chapter. I relooked at the moment where Angel has a mental break down and faints, but it just felt too much too fast. I mean Angel is fairly messed up and some of the more long-term symptoms of withdrawal would be depression and changes in mood. And this is on top of the emotional problems he will deal with as he continues to process the years of abuse at the hands of Valentino.

“It looks like you’re on the mend,” Charlie commented the next morning when she found standing on the main floor deck leaning slightly over the railing. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess,” Angel said as Charlie joined him. “I’m still feeling a desire for drugs.”

“If that nightmare you were having yesterday was any indication,” Charlie said. “I can see why...I don’t know what you were remembering. But if it had anything to do with that room you told us about...I think it’s better I don’t know. It might end up just giving *me* nightmares.”

“I wasn’t planning on giving ya all the gory details anyway.” Angel snarked. Though he did give a small smile of appreciation that she wasn’t going to push the issue. 

“I have a hard time accepting that he even did such horrible things to you,” Charlie said as she put a hand lightly on his arm.”It was heartbreaking to hear you talking like that in your sleep. Like you were afraid he was suddenly going to hurt you. I wish...I wish I had known all of this sooner...maybe if I had met you before you were bought by Valentino none of this would have happened. I know the Overlords aren’t exactly good people, but there have to be some standards even in Hell for what they should be able to get away with.”

“You are the heir to Hell’s throne, right?” Angel pointed out. 

“Not until my dad decides to step down,” Charlie replied, rubbing at frustrated tears from her eyes. “And that’s still centuries away. So much can happen in that time. My dad isn’t exactly happy I’ve started this whole demon rehabilitation project. He thinks I’m just fooling myself with this and that I’m just wasting my time and family’s resources. Maybe...maybe he’s right...” 

Angel’s dark pink eyes softened in sympathy. Having a father figure being less than supportive was something he understood all too well. Before he could second guess himself he reached out and pulled her against him in a gentle embrace. Charlie made a small gasp of surprise as she found herself being lightly held against the spider’s body. Her face resting against the soft fur of his chest. 

“Charlie Magne,” She heard him say her full name. It was a rare thing when he used her name at all, usually, when he was addressing someone it was either with an endearing epithet or a snide remark. The fingers of one of his main appendages tilted her face up so she was looking directly into his mismatched eyes. While his other hand lightly brushed away the tears from her eyes.“I know for a fact you ain’t like your father and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” 

“You’ve met my…” Charlie started to say somewhat surprised as she pulled herself away from Angel’s grasp, but then she remembered who she was talking to. “Oh right...you probably would have.”

“I’ve encountered him...” Angel said leaning his back against the railing. Folding both sets of arms over his chest. One hand did curiously clutch at one of his arms as though it was an anxiety tick. “A few times, I can’t say I’ve honestly met him. Val didn’t really allow his employees to mingle with people on the job. Even when I did have the opportunity to actually talk to someone they were only interested in talking about some film I was in, or performance I had offered, how fortunate I was to be discovered by someone like Valentino. Always the same old bullshit people like to give ya.”

“Wow…” Charlie said sympathetically having heard similar statements herself of how she was only meant to be seen not heard. And how fortunate she must be as the daughter of Lucifer. But in the long run, no one really cared who she was as an individual. “That sounds so…so...”

“Monotonous,” Angel supplied. 

“Lonely,” Charlie corrected. “That’s so lonely.”

* * *

Cherri left her room dressed in her favorite black t-shirt with a double cherry design on the front and a pair of thigh-length jean shorts. She paused by the bedroom next door to her to see how Angel was doing. 

“Angie,” She asked. As close as they were, she did want to respect his privacy. Not hearing anything she assumed he must have been still asleep. Carefully she opened the door to look in on him, only to find his room empty. This was odd, usually, he wasn’t awake this early. He was usually sleeping off a drug bender or a hangover by now. Then she remembered, Angel had been undergoing withdrawal from his drug addiction. If he was up, maybe he was better or at least allowing himself some fresh air. Deciding to head upstairs she paused when she heard voices coming from upstairs. 

“Wow...that sounds so...so…” she could hear Charlie say. 

“Monotonous,” Angel’s voice supplied 

“Lonely...that’s so lonely,” Charlie said sadly. 

“I suppose you can call it that,” Angel said with a bitter sounding sigh.”Having people just seeing you for what you represent or what they see on the surface, but never really seeing the person. But that’s why you have ta be careful with who you’re with, living here. Some people only like ya until they no longer need ya...And others say they care about ya, but really they only want to hurt ya because all you are is nothing to them. You’re just a means to an end.”

“But that’s what makes your friendship with Cherri so special and so rare,” Charlie pointed out. “The fact you look out for one another and worry about each other. How you mean something to her because she is willing to fight to get you out of a serious situation. And how you’d prevent someone from hurting her as a means of hurting you, even though it means you are still being hurt in doing so. There aren’t many demons who would do that, even for a loved one.”

“Speaking of Cherri,” Charlie said in concern. “She was rather upset when she left the room yesterday, following...well you know. I know Vaggie went out and talked to her...but is everything alright between you two. Were you able to talk to one another at all?”

“Yeah,” Angel stated, “We were able to talk last night. I don’t know what Vaggie said to her, but it helped.”

“That’s good,” Charlie said in relief. “I’m glad you have a friend like her... you don’t seem to have very many people you consider friends and I don’t want to feel responsible for destroying what the two of you have.” Leaving her listening point Cherri arrived at the top of the stairs. Vaggie was just coming downstairs herself. 

“Okay, what’s for breakfast?” The Salvadorian moth demon girl asked, 

“I can have Razzle and Dazzle make some French Toast,” Charlie offered. 

“Or you can give the goat boys a day off and I could whip up a frittata in about twenty-minutes” Angel suggested. The three girls all looked at the taller male with surprised expressions. “I’m no five-star chef or anything like that, but I can throw something good together given the chance. There have been guys at the SRO’s I’ve stayed at who were really happy whenever I’d get the slow cooker out during the cold months. My apartment was practically a soup kitchen on pasta nights.”

“That sounds great,” Charlie beamed “Why don’t I get the table set. The dining area on the deck might be a good idea, it’s such a gorgeous day out.” Angel pulled the long fringe of hair that hung over his face and clipped it to the back of his head while he pulled out the eggs and started to look in the fridge for what was available as ingredients. 

Pulling out a couple of bell peppers one yellow, one orange, one onion, spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini, he briefly pulled out some bacon but decided against it. He tried not to use pork products since he did have a pet pig. 

“May I be of assistance,” Vaggie offered as Charlie set the deck table. Cherri had stepped out and the two blond girls were soon conversing like they had been friends for ages. A small surge of jealousy rose in her heart as she saw the cyclops idly playing with her hair like she was flirting, but she calmed her temper. Charlie was in a relationship with her, she had known Charlie long enough to trust that she wouldn’t cheat or look at another girl in that matter. And even if her girlfriend was inclined to desire someone else, she wanted to believe that Charlie would be honest with her before pursuing it. 

Ultimately, Charlie was the only one of them who was destined to remain in Hell, while the rest of them...even her had the possibility of redemption and leaving this horrible world. Her greatest fear and her greatest pain was the thought of leaving Charlie alone for the rest of her existence. Who she chose to love in the future if she made the decision to enter heaven she didn’t know, but all she wanted was for Charlie to be happy. 

“Sure, do you mind getting the vegies prepped?” Angel said, welcoming the help as he searched the cabinets for an iron skillet. Vaggie grabbed a knife and started cutting the onion first. Then the spinach. Angel had moved some distance next to her and had started cracking eggs into a mixing bowl. It felt weird that the two of them were able to stand being able to be so close without being at each other's throats. Ever since they met weeks ago it often felt like he was trying to bait her into some sort of confrontation. Looking on it now, that may have been just Angel’s anger and misery talking, not so much Angel himself. 

“I feel I owe you an apology,” Vaggie confessed since it was just the two of them. 

“For?” Angel asked. Not gloatingly...or snidely. He was actually curious as to why she was apologizing. 

“For judging you the way I did before you let Charlie and me know about what was going on,” Vaggie sighed. “I was letting all my personal views blind me to the possibility that there was more beyond the surface. That wasn’t fair to you so I just want you to know that I apologize.”

“You weren’t wrong,” Angel said as he added a measure of cream and started to whip the egg mixture. “I wasn’t taking this program seriously. All I’ve done since joining the hotel is allow disaster to follow in my wake.” The guilty tone in his voice surprised Vaggie so much that she narrowly missed cutting off one of her own fingers as she started to slice up one of the peppers.

“Angel?” Vaggie said, her remaining eye blinking.in concern. Not getting any response the moth girl sighed. Picking up the zucchini squash she said “Can we not use this one? I think we have enough vegetables without it.”

“Good idea,” Angel said, taking the green squash from her and returning it to the fridge. “Maybe some cheese would be better, like a good mozzarella or manchego, or maybe pecorino romano.”

“Anyway…” Vaggie said taking a chance as she sliced up the bell peppers. “I’m not saying I understand everything you went through with Valentino or before, or any of what I’m about to say completely compares to that. But when Alastor joined the Hotel, you asked me if I had any trust for men. The fact is I don’t...the country I’m from...when I had been living...it has sex trafficking practices.” Vaggie noticed that the sound of Angel pawing through the fridge had stopped. He wasn’t making any remarks or jokes at her expense but she knew she did have his attention. “The government is aware of these practices and frowns upon them, but they really don’t do anything to stop it. They just look the other way as though ignoring the problem will alleviate it. I just couldn’t accept anyone that would willingly do that...to show power over women like that. Because they could...because it made them feel like they were men. If that was what it meant to be a man, I wanted nothing to do with them. Then when I met I disliked you immediately, it wasn’t because you are a male. It was more that I disliked you because the way you dress and act felt like mockery towards women. And also the way you would casually talk about sexual acts like it was just something to be made fun of when I know those same things have been used to subjugate and victimize women since time began. I guess I just never assumed such evil could happen to more than just women.” She heard the sound of the refrigerator door shut before a hand lightly rested on her shoulder. 

She put down the knife as she looked up at him. His dark pink eyes just gazed down at her understanding every word she couldn’t bring herself to admit to anyone, not even Charlie. She clutched hold of his shirt. Not openly crying but her shoulders shook at the unfairness of it all. Angel just wrapped his lower arms around her while his one main hands rested on her shoulder and while the other gently stroked her hair. He said nothing to her in response and there was nothing to say period. “I’m sorry…” Vaggie softly whispered, but those two words conveyed everything she needed to say. 

“I’ll take things from here,” He said when the smaller demon pulled away. Vaggie nodded in response and started to join the other members of their group. “And Vaggie…” Angel called out not looking up at her. “Thanks.” 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have a flashback in Angel's life in this story. We don't know what Arakniss was called in his human life. I originally thought of calling him Alphonso, since Angel's human name would technically be Antonio even though he goes by the anglicized equivalent of Anthony. And from the sound of Angel's father's demon name, it sounds like he may have been known as "Henry" when he has been human. Since Alastor is already called Al for short, I thought it might be confusing to have Angel having his older brother's name shortened to that. So I decided to give Arakniss the Edward for time being. 
> 
> If one really thinks about it Angel's entire human life is a trifecta of "Your very existence is a sin in and of itself!" 
> 
> Angel was born to an Italian-American family and highly likely he was raised in a Catholic household. Catholicism is a branch of Christianity that possesses a notorious history of frowning on Homosexuality. Not quite preaching fire and brimstone, but it does can make you feel less than welcome. 
> 
> Angel's from a Mafia family, he never pledged himself to the family business because he never had any interest in that life. The Mafia is just as likely to murder you as disown you. This leads to a tough-love relationship with his older brother, and a physically abusive relationship with his father. Both of which would have become worse once it was discovered Angel was homosexual. 
> 
> Angel died in 1947 somewhere in his 30's. By fan guestimate, I would wager he would have been around 33-34 around the time he passed away.<  
> The earliest point he would have discovered he was homosexual would be around the mid-late 1920's. While there was a flourishing of gay culture in the early 20th century, coming out of the closet also meant putting your fate in God's hands because of various Anti-gay laws that were issued at that time. So revealing you were gay could result in you being arrested or worse.

“Oh wow,” Charlie said. As the group of companions enjoyed their morning breakfast. “Angel...this is delicious.” The other girls all made noises of approval. 

“I do have Vaggie to thank,” Angel said, not wanting to completely take all the glory. “She helped out.”

“Helped prepare some of the vegetables,” Vaggie said not sure that was worthy of praise. Though she was silently thankful that he wasn’t openly speaking about their conversation earlier. 

“Are ya kidden’” Angel said giving his customary smirk. “You spared me at least ten minutes worth of prep time.”

“Okay…” Vaggie smiled back “Who are you and what have you done with the real Angel Dust?”

“I’m actually glad to see you both getting along for once,” Charlie said smiling at the two of them. 

“Tell me, Angie,” Cherri asked. “When did you learn how to cook?”

“Italian cuisine isn’t really that hard when you really consider it,” Angel said with a shrug. “A lot of it is throwin’ together whatever ya got.”

“Still it’s not like you had kitchen space in the SRO’s” Cherri pointed out. “Were slow-cookers even a thing when you were alive?”

“Nah…” Angel said as he put down his knife and fork. “Those came out some years after I appeared in hell. I learned how to cook during the times my younger sista and I would help out mom whenever she was cooking in the kitchen back when we were kids.”

“You...have a younger sister?” Vaggie asked finding this information surprising. 

“Fraternal twin, actually,” Angel corrected. 

“A twin?” Cherri started surprised. “I guess that explains some things.”

“Why,” Charlie asked confused. 

“Twins share a soul,” Cherri explained “Or that’s a common belief. When he doesn’t think anyone is looking sometimes I’d see him glace at empty space beside him as though expecting someone to be there. I never really understood that before now.”

“I guess if you aren’t with her...she isn’t here in Hell,” Vaggie said. 

“I like to believe she’s in Heaven.” Angel sighed. “I just know that wherever she is happy. I just hope that she was able to live a very long happy life after I…”

“After you passed away,” Charlie finished. Angel nodded in confirmation. The blond Princess of Hell could tell the conversation was taking a downward turn. But still, it wasn’t often that Angel really opened up to them about...well anything really. She didn’t really want the moment to end just yet.

“Do you have any fond memories of your sister growing up?” She asked. 

“A number actually,” Angel admitted. “She’s the only thing I really consciously remember from my living existence...or at least the only thing I want to remember. My fondest memories are of the two of us singin’ you gals should have heard the two of us belt out the words to “Sing, Sing, Sing,” back in the day. Sis had a voice that could really work with the jazz and swing numbers that were popular in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, my tone was more suited for the classic crooners such as “Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and others like them.” Angel’s eyes saddened as though a painful memory was coming to mind.

“I guess one of the strongest memories I have of sis,” Angel paused momentarily as though preparing himself to continue.“Is probably one of the more painful memories. It was during the holiday season of 1918...the day mom passed away from the Spanish Flu.

Sis and I, we was too young to really understand what was going on with the world at that time. All we knew was Mom was sick and Pops was takin’ it hard. Wanting her to feel better again Sis and I just stood outside her room and sang “Adeste Fideles” together hoping that our voices could ease her sufferin’. The last words we ever heard her say to us was “Thank you, my dear ones. I loved listening to you sing to me.” Then an hour later, our older brother informed us she was gone. I took the news pretty hard because the next thing I knew I had him on the ground and was screamin’ that he had to be lying and it was a heartless thing to make somethin’ like that up. All the while Sis was balling her poor little eyes out. Papa finally had to storm into the room and pulled me off of my brother and firmly told me that Mom couldn’t be with us anymore. 

The following days leading up to the funeral. I was largely numb to everything. The words of “It was God will” and other crap like that from neighbors and folks from the Catholic church we attended as they brought food and cakes over to us. 

It just got me thinking ‘How could God do that? If God was so just, and powerful...how could he unfairly take someone as kind and loving, leaving three kids motherless and practically alone? 

Even during the funeral mass, when I kissed her cheek for the last time before they closed the casket. I kept telling myself this wasn’t Mom, this was a stranger that just had my mother’s face. And what pissed me off, even more, was once the funeral services Pop’s told us that we couldn’t speak about her. She was gone that was it. I know that is part of the culture I’m from, Italians don’t speak of the dead once the mourning period is over, because of superstitions and shit like that. But doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the harshest things you can say. 

That night when I couldn’ sleep, sis just climbed into bed with me and told me she felt the two of us really did help Mom in the end. She wasn’t going to get better but just hearing our voices singing to her gave her a last moment of peace before she left us. Perhaps she was right, perhaps we were there for her, just not in the way we wanted to.” 

Everyone at the table was silent at this revelation. Angel quietly excused himself from the table and went leaving everyone else to ponder the story the Spider had given them.

* * *

_Flashback-1933_

_“Anthony, are you alright?” Molly’s voice said in concern as her twin brother left the police station. His mop of unruly white-blond hair disheveled as though he had been in a fight. His white dress shirt was stained both with blood and other things. His grey vest looked rumpled and damaged as did his black trousers. His left eye was swollen, nearly shut the flesh around it darkened and pouched. She immediately rushed up to embrace her twin brother. Her light blue maxi dress hugging her frame as her pale-blond ringlets of hair fell around her shoulders._

_“Of course,” Anthony said as he returned his younger twins' embrace. “I’d faced worse than this.”_

_“You’re fortunate it was Molly who picked up the phone,” Edward stated as he eyed his younger brother with distaste as he blew out smoke from a cigarette. “If Pop’s found out you were arrested for wanting to fuck some guy, he would have left ya to rot in jail for the next week, Anthony.”_

_“Get off it, Ed,” Anthony growled at his older brother. “It’s not like I knew the guy I was talking to at that bar was a cop!”_

_“Don’t expect me to come bail you out next time,” Ed responded, “Do you know what it looks like, having to bail out my faggot kid brother from the klink?”_

_“HEY!” Anthony snarled angrily. “YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FUCKING FACE?!”_

_“Just get in the car,” Ed responded with a growl as he dropped his cigarette on the ground crushing the but with the heel of his shoes. “You get to explain to Pops why you was in jail.”_

_“No…” Molly objected. “You know what Papa does to Anthony, he’d fucking kill him if he learns that he was at a gay bar.”_

_“It’s not my fault he chooses to be a pansy,” Ed said. Anthony swore in Italian under his breath as he climbed into the back seat of his older brother’s car._

_“So what really happened?” Molly asked after they were on the road. One hand lightly rubbing his shoulders trying to get him to calm down._

_“Nothing happened,” Anthony sighed as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, taking one from the pack he lit it and took a drag. “I was just minding my own business at the bar when a guy comes up to me and starts chattin’. After a few drinks with him, I started thinking he was kinda attractive so I thought he’d be interested in us finding a place where we could get more acquainted. Except as soon as we get outside he signals his buddies to jump me and slap the cuffs on me, all the while saying I was under arrest for breaking such and such bull-shit law, issued when I was still a kid statute whatever..”_

_“The police?” Molly was taken aback. “Tricking people into traps like that...that’s criminal.”_

_“Those anti-gay laws were created for a reason,” Ed said unsympathetically. “That’s the only thing that makes me glad ya never pledged yourself. Though if ya had, ya may have actually grown a pair.”_

_“I ain’t interested in the family business, Ed” Anthony said as he cranked open the window and tossed the but of his cigarette out of it. “I got enough shit goin’ on without having the Mafia attached to it.”_

_“You have shit goin’ on?!” Ed growled back. “What sort of shit, exactly?! It doesn’t seem to stop ya from doin’ shit like dust and coke. Or even fucked up stuff like looking for a guy to screw your brains out. Today it was the cops, next time it could be a guy who beats ya senseless and leaves ya to die. Or maybe takes ya down a back alley and shoots ya in the back of the head. You know as well as I do how unnatural your attractions towards men are, it’s an embarrassment to the family and it makes ya look like you wasn’t raised right.”_

_“Ed, that's enough!” Molly protested “Stop it!”_

_“No Molly,” Ed said. “This selfish fairy needs ta hear this. ‘Cause everything he does affects us too. Tony, for once in ya goddamn life just think of what ya are doing before you do it. Doing shit like winding up behind bars or picking fights with people...before you do it just stop and think about who you are really hurtin’. Think about Molly, think about Pops…_

_“I don’t give a fuck was Pops thinks about me,” Anthony shot back._

_“Yeah, that’s obvious,” Edward said. “The only person you give a fuck about is yourself, and even then ya don’t even do that right. Look, as your brother, I am tellin’ ya, you gotta stop doing shit like this. You may not care what anyone thinks about who you are and what ya do with ya life. But, Molls and I do...so I’m warning ya...that wheneveah you act like an idiot...Molly and everyone else around you get hurt. So don’t talk about the shit going on in ya life when it only drags other people down with ya.”_

_Anthony just glowered at the window, fighting back tears. It felt like his whole life everything about him was wrong. Ever since his mother had passed away, he was always seen as a problem that needed to be corrected. His papa would endlessly remind him about what a disappointment he was. Both with his voice and his fists or his belt. His brother never had any sympathy for him, he was always scolding about everything he did. Even when he was in school the other boys calling him slurs such as wop and dago just for the crime of being born to an Italian family. Even then there was a three-generation gap as his parents had allowed the anglo-equivalents of their true names Edwardo and Antonio. Even now that he had accepted himself as part of the gay lifestyle, people around him only had more reason to look at him with disgust._

_He felt his sister's arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close so her head rested against his chest._

_“I love you,” She whispered. “No matter what papa or brother says,_ _there is more to you than you think there is, Anthony. And you'll always be my lovable brother...my guardian angel.”_

* * *

  
Cherri found Angel sitting on the floor of his bedroom, his back resting against the foot of his bed. A cigarette pack sitting beside him untouched. His knees were drawn up to his chest face buried in the arms wrapped around his them. She closed the door behind her before she approached. Charlie and Vaggie were upstairs cleaning up the dishes from breakfast. Each of them dealing with everything Angel had told them in their own way. Sitting on the floor beside Angel, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Angie…” She softly said his name. He lifted his head slightly so that his white eye regarded her. The white sclera was rimmed in red as though he had been crying. Cherri could feel her heartbreak at seeing him in such pain. “Oh...Angie.” She whispered as she enfolded him into her arms. 

“What....what is so wrong with me?” Angel sobbed into her shoulder. Cherri could feel his body shaking like a leaf under her fingers. “Ever since mom died...No matter what I do...it wasn’t good enough....it’s never good enough. Alive I was seen as tho my existence was a sin in itself. Because who I was...what I was...who I liked. Even towards the end of my life I was seen as the enemy in a war I was not involved in. Then after I arrived in Hell, I was alone...always alone. Forced to beg, and scrape out a living for myself. Enterin’ the sex trade as a means to survive only to find myself trapped in it for over seventy fuckin’ years. Even now that I have hope that those years have come to an end...I still get this feeling that it ain’t over and won’t be until Val or myself is erased.”

“You’re not alone anymore, Angie.” Cherri said holding her best friend...her older brother in her arms. ‘You have a family that is here for you and loves you. They want to see you free from Val and they will fight for you if it comes to that.”

“I’ll never be free of him,” Angel said. “Even if I’m able to be released from his control, I’ll still be living in fear that he will come for me. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is that room...just endless days of being trapped there with a chain around my leg. Just waiting for the torture to start. What I fear most is...if I find myself in that room again...I know I won’t survive it...not this time.”

“That won’t happen,” Cherri said, tears coming to her own single eye. Protectively curling her smaller frame around his. “I won’t allow it.” 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I acknowledge this is not the most interesting chapter, but I'm going to use it to close out the mountain cabin excursion.

“If you need to smoke,” Charlie said as she found Angel standing on the deck later that evening contemplating his pack of cigarettes. “I can find an ashtray for you,”

“No need,” Angel said. “I’m actually thinkin’ of giving these up.”

“Giving up smoking?” Charlie asked. 

“No...just these,” Angel said, waving the pack to indicate the cigarettes he was holding. “These were the only brand Val would allow me to have. He never told me why aside from the fact they were his preferred brand. If I used anything else he’d claim that I smell different. The odd thing about these is Val’s cigs always had a musky scent but for some reason, these don’t. 

“Really because those cigarettes are rather rank,” Charlie said. “No offense, I’ve never really been a fan of the habit of smoking. But can tell the difference between those and Valentinos.”

“I actually agree with you, they actually do smell pretty bad,” Angel said. “Like something died... a week ago bad. That’s why I haven’t been eager to use them while I’ve been here. And my mind is clearer now that I’m away from the studio and...I’ll admit it...now that I’m off drugs. I always thought it was Val’s cologne that was the musky scent, but strangely one of the last times I was at the studio I had noticed one of Val’s cig’s still burnin’ in an ashtray, there was a musky scent coming from it, and Val was nowhere near it.”

“Do you think that could mean something?” Charlie asked.

“It’s possible, he had other ways of controlling me than just the room?” Angel said. Cherri at that moment was coming out into the deck with a cup of coffee in her hands. 

“What other ways,” Cherri asked. “The mental and emotional abuse?” 

“No…” Angel sighed. “I don’t know if I can describe it. When he uses his cigarettes he at times blows out the smoke at me. It’s like I don’t know...it’s like it takes on a physical form because I can feel it when it crawls up my neck, and I get his feeling that if I fight it, it could end up strangling me or something. It’s not something like mind control or shit like that because I’m aware of it. But when I breathe it in, I’m compelled to what he wants.” Charlie looked up at him her eyes blank trying to make sense of it.

“So he drugs you?” Cherri stated. “He is able to force some sort of mind-bending crap into you or some shit?”

“That actually sounds more like magic,” Charlie responded in concern. “If it takes a physical form and you can actually feel it and sense it could be a danger if you resist it…’

“But if he has to breathe it in…” Cherri asked, “Wouldn’t that make it a drug of some kind...or can you inhale magic.”

“No, I don’t think you can inhale magic…” Charlie said as she contemplated what Angel had said. “Smoke is just ash and vapor, but if you can use it as a means of something to pass a drug or something into someone against their will or knowledge that is one thing. But the fact it can be directed at someone or take on a tangible form that you are able to feel enough to know that it is or can be a threat to you suggests it is a form of magical power. Maybe that could be something to talk to Alastor about when we go back to the hotel in a couple of days. He might have more of an idea about what that could be.”

“That might be a good idea,” Angel agreed. “Also during this past cleansing, he had me out looking for Johns the moment the lockdown was over. Usually, he just has me drop by the Studio as soon as the coast is clear.”

“Okay,” Cherri said. “That sounds like he’s getting fed up with you.”

“I agree,” Charlie said. “Even when I signal the Cleansing has come to an end, it doesn’t mean all the Exterminators are gone.”

“I was thinking that too,” Angel said, “He may have suspected I was up to something or was just open to the idea of letting the exterminators deal with me so he doesn’t feel he needs to waste consecrated steel bullets.”

“Wait...what?!” Both girls said. 

“What did you mean about wasting consecrated steel bullets?” Charlie asked. 

“You know how the sacred spears the exterminators use are the only thing that can truly kill a demon, right?” Angel said. “These spears when they are left behind are sold on the black market. Val collects them and melts them down into bullets for his guns. Since the steel used is a real hot commodity, he saves these bullets for people he feels he should take out himself. Most of the time when demons are shot, depending on the demon’s power levels and how badly they are injured. They can be incapacitated for about a matter of minutes to days. But a consecrated steel bullet would instantly be fatal. Something like a small graze could become infected and eat away at you until there is nothing left.”

“So in other words,” Cherri surmised “He won’t kill ya himself unless he feels that’s the way things have to end between you. But if another force does the job for him, then all then he can just brush it off as an unfortunate tragedy and be done with you.”

“Yep,” Angel sighed. “So as long as I’m around he’ll try to break me until there is nothing left. Or if he knows he can’t have me under his control anymore, he will end things so I belong to no one. Either way, everything will end with one of us walking away.”

“You said you had been wanting to leave Valentino for a while, even before you met Cherri.” Vaggie asks as she joined the group. 

“I was wondering when someone was going to ask that,” Angel said with a smirk. “You’ve likely figured the Cleansing days seem to revolve a lot of important moments in my time here. I met Cherri on a Cleansing Day, I met you girls two weeks before the most recent Cleansing, and everything that’s been going on occurred just after it. I also appeared in Hell about a few days before my first Cleansing. And continuing that theme I did find myself wanting to leave Val during a Cleansing day as well. I don’t remember who this person was, their name, what sort of Demon they were, or anything like that. But there was a time I was running back to the studio so we could be in place before lockdown. I had another performer with me and they were not far behind. When we arrived at the studio I had just made it in, we still had ten minutes to spare before the sirens went off and lockdown began. But just seconds after I was in the doors locked and the metal gates closed. That didn’t make sense because we had some minutes to spare so it wasn’t lockdown just yet. I tried to see if any of the doors were unlocked or there was any way to get them inside before the sirens went off, but there was nothing to be done. So I signaled to them to hurry and find somewhere to hide, someplace they could be safe for several hours. They either didn’t understand me through the glass or didn’t feel they could find a place to hide in time. At that moment the sirens went off, in desperation, they tried hiding in the bushes just feet from the building. I immediately rushed upstairs to the second floor where I could watch. The windows on that floor are one-way mirrors so I could look out but no one can see anything from outside. That’s when the Exterminators arrived. One of them either saw the demon hiding in the bushes or suspected someone was there. Because they signaled to their buddies and indicated the bushes before they approached. The performer was dragged out of the bushes thrown down before them and was a goner in seconds. And it was just like a candle going out, one minute they were there...then they were gone. All memory of who they were didn't fade instantaneously, but It was like they had been erased from existence. The only thing I remember now was they were someone I had worked with or at least someone who had worked at the studio. Valentino appeared not long after the Exterminators had left to seek out more demons to kill off. He just regarded the dead demon as if they were nothing, before smiling at me and said “Bet you’re glad that wasn’t you stuck out there.” That’s when I knew I really wanted to leave, that I had to get out of there. After all, if he could regard his bit performers like he had lost nothing, then what did that say about employees like myself or my co-workers. The people he abused on the regular. If I couldn’t get out, I would have made damn sure that there were no others put through the same shit I was or abandoned when they no longer served any purpose.”

“That is the sort of thang I was wanting to prevent when I came up with my Hotel.” Charlie said. “That instead of the Cleansings even needing to take place, the demon overpopulation could be dealt with humanely, Demons who are brought to hell could have a chance of proving themselves worthy of Heaven.”

“I don’t really see what Heaven even has to gain by these Cleansings, to begin with.” Angel inquired. “I mean, yeah you have people who deserve to be in Hell such as the murderers, serial killers, career criminals, dictators, rapist,... priests who like touching the Alter Boys a little too much. Then there are also demons who arrive in Hell for infractions such as suicide, drug use, or theft. Still, if Hell is where the guilty go to suffer for eternity, wouldn’t overpopulation be in the best interests of Hell itself.” 

“You…” Charlie considered. “You could be right...there really isn’t any sort of reasons the Cleansings need to be used to deal with overpopulation.”

“It almost feels like a sick sort of entertainment in some ways,” Cherri commented. 

“I don’t know who’d be entertained by that in Heaven,” Vaggie said. “I know Alastor is, he broadcasts the carnage every year.”

“And even if redemption could be possible, wouldn’t that make Heaven overpopulated?” Cherri pointed out. “So what would that mean...Demons go to heaven to slaughter the Angels.” 

“Or Heaven may not actually be the paradise people like to believe it is,” Angel stated. 

“Maybe...maybe you were right, Angel.” Charlie sighed in disappointment. “Maybe this whole thing with the Hotel was crazy,”

“I never said that,” Angel stated, cocking his head so he was regarding her with his darker left eye. 

“When you were telling us about what…” Charlie started to point out. 

“I said the pitch you gave me sounded crazy,” Angel corrected. “I never said the idea was.”

“Okay then,” Vaggie said putting a comforting arm around Charlie. “How would you improve it?” Angel paused momentarily. His mind bringing up the various times that he had offered suggestions or even volunteered to offer himself as someone who had more of a use than just being a slut. 

_“Angel, Angel, Angel,”_ Valentino would always condescendingly reply. _“What have I always told you countless times, sweetheart? It’s not your place to be meddling in my affairs. Your place is to stay at the studio and do everything I tell you to do. That’s the only thing I require from you, Angel Cakes.”_

“I…” Angel started to say as he gathered his thoughts. _~Come on, Angel...Val ain’t here. You can give suggestions to things without havin’ em brushed aside, This ain’t like the studio where your opinions never mattered.~_ “I guess I wouldn’t put so much focus on the redemption thing. I know that is ya goal and all, but since you gals are only seekin’ to prove that demons are capable of being redeemed if that is what they want. Folks aren’t exactly going to be interested because they’d just think you were bullshitting them or something. I would say something closer to what you told Vox when he dropped by the Hotel, Or what you were telling Vaggie about how the cause of the Hotel is to bring about positive change to demon souls by helping them come to terms with the mistakes they have made in life which resulted in them finding themselves in Hell. Finding ways to help them elevate themselves from there.” 

“See what I said about him being a listener?” Cherri said as she playfully slugged Angel’s arm. “If someone came up to me and said they were offering a safe place for demon souls who are actually good people, but are here in hell because they did something that didn’t fit Heaven's ideals. And that the intent behind it was to help improve things for them. I’d be more open to listening to then, “we want to redeem demons, we just don’t know how to do that yet.” 

“What did I say to Vox again?” Charlie asked. 

“You had said, “ Angel said. “You had created the Hotel as an alternative to the cleansings every year, and while you understood there were numerous souls in Hell who were evil and would never change. There are still many others who are good and didn’t deserve life in Hell. So the Hotel was meant as a means for them to heal from the sins binding them here so they have more of a possibility of entering Heaven.”

“So instead of pitching the opportunity of redemption,” Charlie thought through what Angel was suggesting. “Offer it as a safe place for good souls who feel they don’t belong in Hell and help those souls to come to terms and understand what brought them here. But what about redemption, I still believe it is possible for demons to have a chance to go to Heaven.”

“You can still say you believe it is possible for demons to be redeemed,” Angel suggested. “And it is your goal to prove that it is possible. But since that hasn’t been proven, you are focusing on bettering the existence of a Demons life here in Hell until a redemption can be achieved.” 

“Thank you,” Charlie responded, wrapping an arm around Angel’s back lightly squeezing his arm. “Thank you for your suggestions. I’ll be sure to take them into account when I replan this project after we get back to the hotel tomorrow.” 

"Aww," Cherri complained lightly. "I mean I love the city and all, but I'm actually liking it here."

"We've been gone a week now," Charlie said. "I do need to check up on the Hotel, so I do need to return. Angel, I know a lot of this week hasn't been the relaxing adventure you were hoping for. I know I said I can permit another week if you feel you need it, but considering some of the things that have been done...do you feel it would be better for you and Cherri to stay here. Valentino doesn't know where you are and even if he does learn about this place. This is land that is owned and protected by the Magne house. So no one will be able to enter it if they aren't expected to be here or if they are not with someone from my household. I can send notice to my father and mother that I am permitting some...friends to stay there so they aren't surprised by you two. I can also have you both moved to one of the guesthouses. It would be smaller than this place but, the amenities are comfortable. If you feel that being back at the hotel would put you in danger, I don't want to put you at risk."

"Thanks, Charlie," Angel said, using the blond girl's name to emphasize the sincerity of his words. "I appreciate your offer, but I think I should return with you to the city. If Valentino wants me, he is going to get a hold of me no matter what. While the contract I signed means I'm not under his control any longer, Val does have enough connections to blow holes in it and take me back as his property. And my face is too well known around Hell. So all would take is someone delivering groceries recognizing me. Or noticing that Razzle and Dazzle are visiting this place frequently. I hate to say it, but my chances to run from Val are over. I'm in danger no matter where I am."


	17. Chapter 17

“It seems that your wayward whore has finally returned,” Vox said. His screened face showing footage of the limo pulling up in front of the hotel. And the quartet of demons left the town car. 

The first was Charlie Magne followed closely by her some moth demon girl that Valentino didn’t know or care to know. Though he did think she did have a body that would be pleasing to the certain crowds if he got his hands on her. He can make her into one of his playmates like Dia and Summer. The next to leave the car was Angel’s girl companion...Cherri Bomb. The punky blond looking like she enjoyed her time away but was also glad to be back in the city again. Val’s hands clenched angrily at the sight of the girl. She was a nuisance, how he wanted to make her suffer for being such an insufferable irritant with how she encouraged Angel’s bad habits. Plus anything done to her would only make Angel suffer and break so more the better. 

Death was too good for her. No sense in wasting one of his precious consecrated bullets on her…at least not immediately. What he would do is imprison them both in that special room. Angel would be shackled flush against the wall and would be punished first to get things started. That way the girl can witness how much she failed him and know she should have left things as they were. Once he was done with Angel, the girl will be shackled to the futon, her clothing torn away. And then he would pleasure himself with her body endlessly telling her that she was happening to her because of Angel Dust, that he was the one who was allowing this to happen to her. Once he was done he would force Angel to have his way with her. This will continue for a period of days, breaking the girl’s spirit and the boy’s will to fight against him. Then he would bring in a string of associates including Vox to enjoy the two of them. Finally, he would remove Angel Dust and lock him in one of the brothel rooms at the studio...where he should have been from the start. The girl would remain in the room alive for Valentino’s pleasures, It’s only when the girl no longer pleased him that he would grant her desires to have her existence be erased and have her body fed to the cannibals. Angel would mourn for her, but he would forget her as her existence faded from his mind. Before too long she would just be a soul he once had known, but no longer remembered. 

He was so busy visualizing what he would do to Angel and his friend that he barely missed Angel Dust himself getting out of the car. Having Vox rewind the shot a bit he watched as Angel climbed out of the car. The boy’s mismatched set of eyes glanced around cautiously as he looked about as though expecting to see Valentino’s red limo come speeding up the hotel at any minute. Or one of Valentino’s associates to nab him at gunpoint. As Angel joined his three companions, his lanky frame towering over the three girls as he followed them into the building. Valentino had Vox rewind the video again. Back to the moment Angel got out of the car and looked about. There was something different about him...he looked healthier and more refreshed. He didn’t look like he was just coming off a drug high or drunk like he usually did. He actually looked like he may be sober, likely not sober enough to deny any sort of craving for drugs. Something that Val would be all too happy to supply the Spider once he was back in his hands. 

“Shouldn’t you be collecting your property right now?” Vox asked. “I can make sure the 'special room' is prepared.”

“Oh I will collect him soon enough, Voxy” Val said. “He knows I haven’t forgotten him...he knows I will be on the lookout for him, and in a matter of time he and/or his companion will risk going outside the Hotel and when either of them do…” Val slammed his hand hard enough to send the glass of wine he had been enjoying to stagger and fall over. Its contents spilled across the desk and onto the floor, the color the same shade as fresh blood. 

* * *

“We’re back!” Charlie called out as the door to the hotel opened and the group walked in. 

“Oh great, it’s you guys.” Husk grumbled

“You’re back!” Nifty cheered before she started giving off various rapid-fire questions and statements. “What’d you guys do? Where’d you go? Did you all have fun? Can I go next time? You guys were all gone for a really long time. I know it’s been a week, but it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen everybody. It’s been just me, Husker, and Al minding the place. With everyone gone all I’ve done to occupy my time is to clean everything, prepare all the other bedrooms on the second floor just so they’d be ready if we got more people staying at the hotel...not that there is anyone has shown up to join the hotel.”

The elevator dinged and the red figure of Alastor stepped out of the car. His face plastered with his ever-present rictus grin. While only the second floor was in use for residents of the hotel. Alastor had insisted on using one of the top floor executive suites to be offered to him rather than one of the smaller bedrooms. Charlie obliged him since he was not a resident of the hotel in the same way Angel was. And while she had made it clear what sort of behavior she expected from him, she didn’t want to test to see what he could do to them if he wasn’t happy with how things were.

“Ah welcome home my fellow companions,” Alastor said as he sauntered down the stairs. “I do hope your relaxing excursion was able to soothe your souls and put your minds at ease.”

“It was…” Charlie said nervously. While she was thankful for the help Alastor had given the hotel, she wasn’t going to openly trust the Radio demon like he was a friend. “I should plan another one real soon, everyone included this time.”

“Ah and Angel my good fellow,” Alastor said as he approached. “You seem like you’re in better spirits then you usually are, it’s good to see this time away has been a positive experience for you.“ The radio demons blood-red eyes then shifted downward and regarded Cherri. “And this charming damsel you have as your companion I presume must be the Bonny to your Clyde.” 

The 1980’s punk Cyclops shrank behind Angel’s taller frame. While she could handle most demons and she had some idea of what Valentino and his crew were like. Everything about Alastor screamed dangerous and predatory in ways that she knew she wouldn’t be able to take on herself. 

“I’ve never considered comparin’ us to those two, Smiles,” Angel said putting a reassuring hand on Cherri’s shoulder. “But yeah it’s something like that, though a bit reversed.”

“Hello, my dear!” Alastor greeted, holding a hand out to Cherri. “The names Alastor, a real pleasure to meet ya.” Cherri only shrank further away from the Radio Demon. 

“Well, it’s been a long trip,” Angel said, he also wasn’t partially fond of Alastor and understood how dangerous he could be. But he was familiar enough to know he could be a good guy to have in your corner, even if you still did need to keep your guard up around him. “I think I'll go unpack and let Nuggz out to stretch his legs. Cherri, will you need assistance with your luggage?”

"Oh, no, I've got it, thanks, Angie. I've got a shower in my room that is just calling name." Cherri said hefting her duffle bag, trying really hard to make it sound like she wasn't scared shitless. “I see why you said his smile reminds you of Valentino,” Cherri whispered as the two of them reached the stairs.

“Excuse me, my dear,” Alastor said as he glanced at them over his shoulder smile growing more fierce. “Did you just say...Valentino?”

* * *

Angel leaned against the door of his room after he entered it. Cherri had rushed up the stairs saying something about needing to put her clothes away just seconds after Alastor had asked her about the mention of Valentino. While he understood how intimidated she must feel about Alastor in general. That was the first time Angel had consciously felt abandoned by her. 

Charlie had, fortunately, said she would explain things since she needed to talk to Alastor anyway.

The only reason Angel himself wasn’t scared out of his wits by the Radio Demon was that he was familiar with the power of the Overlords. Having been associated, and faced abuse by three of them. Still learning that Alastor did have some history with Vox did explain why the TV demon had been at the hotel weeks back. It woulda been nice knowing that before assuming that the TV Demon had been there on Val’s orders. Perhaps if he had, he might have considered including Alastor during that time he had explained everything to Charlie and Vaggie. Even then there was the issue of when 'Smiles' had said he was only interested in the Hotel as a form of entertainment. And he wanted to watch in delight as everyone who was seeking redemption through the Hotel struggled to reach that goal only to fail time and time again. 

At the current, Angel was first and one of the only people who existed as a resident in this project and his path was a long and slippery one to be sure. As much as he wanted to be free of Valentino he knew the Mothy pimp was obsessive enough to not let him go. In the end things would be Val and himself, the two of them facing each other and only one or neither of them would walk away from their final confrontation alive. But that didn’t mean the struggle for his very existance should be the source of someone's amusement. He already had enough of that with Val as it was, He wasn’t going to be the entertainment or plaything of anyone any longer. It was beyond time for him to take back his afterlife. 

Letting Fat Nuggets out of his carrier he had just gotten into his sleeping attire when he glanced back out the window he looked out at the glow of the uptown area. The lights of the city beaconing him to come to play, to club, to partake in the fun. But it didn’t seem so much fun anymore. The lights felt exposing and cold, while all the clubs, the bars, the dens, all sought to trap him again in the tangled web he had wanted to escape for so long. Drawing the curtains he plunged the room into darkness save the little light coming out from under the hanging fabric. He jumped in surprise when he heard a knock at his door. 

“Angie…” Cherri’s voice asked cautiously. She immediately ran into his arms the moment he opened the door to her. He wasn’t used to seeing his friend like this...her body shivering in fright as she clung to him. “Is that...is that what the power of an Overlord feels like?” 

“Yeah,” Angel confirmed. 

“That’s why you didn’t want me to go after Val...” Cherri said. “I thought Overlord was just a pointless title like King Pin or shit like that, I never understood it until now. All I felt from Alastor felt like danger, I’ve never felt so threatened by anyone before. How can you even stand it.”

“I don’t, “ Angel sighed as he let go of Cherri and turned on the overhead light. “I didn't I always turned to drugs for that. Fortunately, ‘Smiles’ isn’t like Valentino or his associates. The day he joined the hotel, Pentious showed up lookin’ for me, and when he saw Al that puffed up snake just thought he was here protectin me. Still, as powerful as he is, he's only helpin’ because he wants to be entertained watchin’ me and other snooks who decide to join up with this hotel to fail. While I’m glad, he ain’t friends with Val or Vox. If it’s more entertaining to him to watch me get dragged down the street by Val’s limo he'll allow it. ”

* * *

“Okay, Al…” Charlie said after Angel had gone up to his room. “You have some experience with the Overlords, is that correct?”

“Of course my dear,” Alastor said, cocking his head to the side. “I make it my business to know the comings and goings of Hell itself. I gather our dear fellow Angel Dust has found himself involved in a bit of trouble with one of them.”

“You can say that,” Charlie said. “From what he told me, Angel was...sold to Valentino. While he had been working for that particular Overlord as a performer. Valentino also has been severely hurting Angel in various awful and indescribable ways, and that was one of the reasons for his drug use. We managed to find a loophole to get him out of Valentino’s control, but the Overlord is not going to make it easy for Angel to continue following the program of this Hotel.” Alester’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes did narrow dangerously. 

"One of the things he told me yesterday actually had me confused," Charlie continued. "I figured you might have some idea about what was going on. What he said is that Valentino is able to use his cigarettes to direct something that sounds like it has to be magic towards him, but then he is able to breathe it in and it drugs him. Do you have any idea about what that could be?" One of Alastor's eyebrows rose in interests.

"Tell me, my dear," Alastor inquired. "What makes you believe that it is magic?"

"He said Valentino is able to blow a ribbon or string of red smoke after taking a drag on one of his cigarettes." Charlie explained "And that it takes on some physical form because he is able to feel it or at least know it could be a threat of some kind. Then it is able to disperse into the air so he is able to inhale it. I don't know if it's possible to breathe in magic, which would only mean he's being drugged in some way."  
  


"I see..." Alastor said his wide smile closing, though his smile still remained ever-present. It almost made Charlie wonder what would happen if Alaster didn't smile...would that mean existence itself was coming to an end.

"You are correct on your theory about it being magic," Alastor explained after a moment. "The ribbon of smoke is in itself a magic-based extension of the power Valentino does hold over our dear Angel Dust. But what you believe to be mind-controlling drugs is actually a potion that is intended to instill mental manipulation. The cigarettes are infused with this potion enabling Valentino to use the smoke ribbon to force Angel to fall under its effects."

“Like, I told ya,” Husk grumbled somewhat guiltily. “Valentino and the Three-V’s are not demons ya wanna be messing with. You’re gonna have to let the kid go, save yourselves a lot of grief.”

“¡Cierra la boca, cabrón de cara de mierda! (Shut your mouth, you shit faced bastard!)” Vaggie growled. Husk just regarded the moth girl coolly. 

“Sécate y muere, perra. (Dry up and die, you bitch). Husk grumbled back in Spanish. 

“No!” Charlie insisted. “ I am not giving up on Angel! He has suffered for far too long, and in ways, no one should ever have to in life or in Hell. I know the Overlords are dangerous and Valentino and those associated with him will threaten everyone at the hotel to get him back. I’ve already put him in danger by asking him to be involved in this project. And he’s put himself in danger just admitting everything he has. I’m not going to let Valentino do what he wants to him anymore, not without a fight.”

“So,” Vaggie’s eye narrowed “You going to help in this?”

“No,” Alastor said. 

“But…” Charlie protested.

“Cabrón hijo de perra! (You bastard son of a bitch!)” Vaggie growled brandishing the angelic spear she carried as a weapon. “I knew we couldn’t trust you!”

“My dear,” Alastor demured his Cheshire cat smile only growing wider and indicated Charlie. “The plight of Angel Dust is the cause of this lovely demon bell, not mine. I believe your orders were for me to help the hotel as long as I so desire. And that is what I agreed to do, I did not agree to help the souls who reside in the hotel. Though I would be more inclined to offer my assistance in this matter if you were to make a...deal.” Alastor offered out his hand causing the room to become enveloped in a green glow. 


	18. Chapter 18

For a moment Charlie considered taking Alastor’s hand. What would happen if she made a deal? Before she could give in to temptation she quickly waved away Alastor’s offer. 

“No!” Charlie said firmly. “No deals! No strings! None of that! Al, I know you are able to help. Please find it in yourself to do this.”

“Ha! Don’t you remember?” Alastor remarked. “I said I wanted to help this hotel as a means of alleviating my own boredom. I wanted to be entertained by watching souls such as Angel Dust and his lovely companion struggle for the possibility of redemption only for it to end in failure time and time again. While it does pain me to learn that Angel is shackled by the chains of one of the most vile of the Overlords. Liberating him would not entertain me or benefit me in any way.”

“Then maybe I wrong about you,” Charlie said her voice holding a hard growl. She gazed down at the floor. Her blonde hair hiding her eyes from him. 

“My charming demon belle,” Alastor smirked. “You are a native of this world are you not. Surely you know what the souls of sinners like myself, Angel Dust, and his lady friend are like.”

“Don’t compare Angel and Cherri to yourself, Alastor!” Charlie said. One eye demonic eye glaring up at him through her hair. The sclera of her normally gentle eyes taking on a fierce red cast. “Angel may have initially joined for selfish reasons, but that didn’t mean that his reasons for joining were completely self-interested. At any point…Any point from the moment, he realized that Valentino was aware of his existence here…he could have just up and left. He could have kept this matter to himself until Valentino was at our doorstep with an army of gunmen. Instead, he made the choice to inform us about everything and even admitted that if we felt his existence in this hotel was too risky he would leave. Even afterward, he put himself at serious risk to protect this hotel and everyone in it. People like his friend Cherri, and people he didn’t know quite as well Vaggie and myself. Husk, Niffty, and even you. Which is more than you seem to offer. This past week at the cabin, he spent much of it sick because his body was healing from the drug use that he was doing behind our backs. Still, despite that...he has shown more improvement in the past month since joining this hotel then you give him credit for. Just because you don’t want to change and can’t see that possibility in yourself. Doesn’t mean the possibility isn’t there for others...even if they also have trouble seeing it in themselves.”

Alastor still smiled, but he was somewhat taken aback by Charlie’s words. Behind him, Husk regarded the confrontation with interested indifference. While Niffty’s cycloptic eye watched the exchange between Alastor and Charlie in concern. Her single pupil darting back and forth between Alastor and Charlie as though unsure who she should side with.

“I’ll ask you again,” Charlie said. “Help us keep Angel out of Valentino’s hands? Help us break him free from Valentino for good? Please...”

“My dear,” Alastor shook his head regretfully, though his ever-present smile remained. “Angel Dust and all the souls in this hotel are under your care. If you believe that Angel is capable and worthy of redemption, then you must find the power in yourself to fend off those who will hinder his progress. And if freedom is his true desire, he must also find the strength of will to break free of the chains that bind him to his tormentor.”

* * *

_Angel left the stage after his performance was over. He was exhilarated by the cheers and calls for more. That was the only thing he enjoyed about being a star. People cheering out the name “Angel Dust” over and over again. The enthusiasm of the crowd as he spun and wrapped his lanky frame around the pole. Dressed in nothing but his black skirt he continued to his dressing room and entered. He however stopped short when he saw none other than Valentino standing before him._

_“Excellent performance, Angel Cakes.” The larger moth demon said. Angel cringed at the nickname._

_“Need something boss,” Angel asked as Valentino approached, he closed the door so Summer’s performance wouldn't be interrupted. Though he wondered how the members of the audience would react to discover that Valentino would beat and assault his star performers. Even in Hell, there had to be people that would object to it and find the act shameful. But there were so many that feared the power of the Overlords enough to look the other way. And this was still Hell they were talking about, if anything they would probably see no problem in Val raping his body clear to next Sunday. Knowing Val he would obligingly allow them to join in if they pay him for the opportunity._

_The moth demon said nothing as he reached forward running his fingers through the soft silky strands of Angel’s hair. His pupilless red eyes shining with sick mirth only to react with sudden shock as the spider slapped his hand away._

_The pleased smile that had been on Valentino’s face darkened into a sneering frown as his hand enclosed around Angel’s neck and threatened to squeeze. His lower hands clamping around Angel’s main arms to prevent them from clawing and scratching at the appendage encircling his throat._

_“You’re fortunate I have people to see right now,” Valentino growled grabbing Angel’s chin he forcibly kissed him. Angel struggled to turn his head away so he could breathe but Val held him with so much force he could hardly move._

_“_ _Even when you know where you stand,” Valentino said when he finally pulled away. Angel felt lightheaded as he struggled to fill his lungs with sweet...sweet air. “No matter how many times I’ve beaten you, starved you, and fucked your ass. You still have such spirit...such defiance. That’s what intrigues me most about you, but they all break eventually. You are no different!” Tossing Angel aside, the Moth opened the door and started to take his leave. Tossing the promise of “I’ll deal with you when I get back!” as he locked the dressing room door behind him._

* * *

Angel's eyes flew open, at the memory. It wasn’t bad enough for him to scream out as he woke up. At least not yet, there was more to that memory, in particular, a lot of bad stuff followed that. The need...the desire for the drug that was his namesake surged in him. The blessed relief of detachment one little sniff of the white powder would grant him. No pain-filled memories, no suffering, just the bliss of the mindless feeling of nothing. 

He started to toss back the covers to get to his stash of dust that he kept hidden in his vanity drawer. But then he remembered...he had gotten rid of it. After Cherri had returned to her room to take that shower she had mentioned earlier he had taken out the half-full bag from the drawer. Spending a good half hour just looking at it...holding it in his hands like it was something alien. 

He didn’t exactly promise Charlie he would never return to drug use as a form of self-medication. But Charlie had also made it clear she would not tolerate him sneaking drugs again. 

_I know narcotics have been something you’ve turned to as a means of escaping and dealing with all the stuff that Valentino and other people have been doing to hurt you in the past. I understand your reasons for doing that, so I am going to overlook all this...this time. But I can’t keep making excuses for you. I need you to understand that all this ends here and now_

She had given him so many chances, more chances than he deserved. And she was doing everything she could think of to get him away from Valentino. Something she had succeeded at for now. 

He knew his body wanted the drugs, and considered doing it just once for old time sake...but then he paused. No...he had just endured withdrawal...he could answer his need for a drug hit with the promise of “Just this once.” Unfortunately, with drugs, there was never a “Just this once”, Even if he told himself it was just until the bag was done...then no more. His body would just fall into withdrawl again and Charlie would know he was taking drugs behind her back. He could already visualize the look of disappointment on her face. If he was caught undergoing the headaches, seizures, and other crap he went through just getting as clean as he was now. Even if he could hide it, they would recognize what he had been like when he had been jonesing following a drug high. He may as well be handing himself back to Valentino with a bow around his neck and a cardboard sign saying “I’m sorry for makin’ ya mad at me, daddy!”

Before he could stop himself, Angel had taken the drugs unto the ensuite bathroom, poured the white powder into the toilet bowl and flushed. Throwing the bag away into the garbage. When Cherri visited his room again some minutes afterward, she found him sitting on the side of his bed just staring into space. She at first thought he had given into his drug cravings until he told her he had tossed out his drug stash. She was overjoyed at hearing that, telling him how seeing him undergoing withdrawal scared her and that she didn’t want to see him sick like that again. 

Speaking of Cherri, he glanced beside him to see if she had woken her up. The blonde cyclops was curled on her side next to him, deep in a peaceful slumber. Fat Nuggets was curled against her body soft grunts issuing from his snout as he slumbered. Her tattooed arm curled around him. He softly smiled as he settled himself back down against his pillows. The smile faded as he looked up towards the ceiling, tears misting as the sight brought to mind how he and his sister Molly would share each other’s beds when one or both of them were distressed. 

The way Cherri was curled next to him was reminiscent of the way Molly would sleep next to him when they had been children. Curled beside him in peaceful slumber with one arm wrapped around their Tortoise Shell print cat, Bojangles who was curled between them purring.

Rolling on to his stomach he brought a hand to his mouth to block a sob.

“I’m sorry…Molly” He whispered as a single tear fell from each of his eyes.

* * *

_Flashback-1947_

_He had just settled into the drug high. Leaning back in the armchair he let the detached feeling begin to wash over him. But he felt something wrong this time...his blood pressure was elevating, it was causing a pounding feeling in his chest. His body started to convulse as his eyes rapidly darted around. He wanted to call out to someone...Molly was out getting groceries and supplies for their families New Years' festivities. But Ed and Papa were home. He needed someone...someone to realize something was wrong and get help,_

_But his voice refused to come, his mouth wouldn’t work as expected. It was like his body was refusing for his commands. He tried again to call for help, only for his body to refuse to respond. He thought he heard footsteps approach from behind him, he couldn’t see if anyone was in the room or who they were. It very well could have been the drugs making him think there was someone else there._

_“Please...help…” he tried to cry out. What he was able to make came out was a whining squeal. The footsteps seemed to recede as though what seemed to be occurring didn’t have anything to do with them._

_The convulsions gradually stopped and his body just fell into a trance-like state. The front door hurriedly opened and someone stepped through._

_“Anthony…” He could hear his sister's voice as she called out his name in concern. The two of them had an uncanny and unexplainable way of knowing when one of them was distressed or in trouble. She cautiously approached as though fearful of what she would find._

_~Molly…~ His sister's name filled his mind as he felt his consciousness slowly start to fade. ~Sorella (Sister)...I’m sorry~. Molly gasped in horror as her face filled his vision. Her soft brown eyes knowing that he was beyond help, but hadn’t quite accepted it as truth just yet. Her hand light upon his cheek as she tried to check if he was still alive._

_“ED!” She cried out. “GET HELP...IT’S ANTHONY!” His older brother appeared in his fading field of vision. Edward reached out and lifted up one of his eyelids._

_“Damn it!” He growled. “The idiot must have overdosed!” He rushed away to call the paramedics._

_“He’s barely breathing,” Molly said as she undid her twin brother's jacket and part of his shirt hoping that would help him breathe more easily. “Just stay with me Fratello,” She begged tears falling down her cheeks. “Please stay with me...don’t leave me alone...please...I need you.”_

_~Mi dispiace, mia cara sorella...(I’m sorry, my dear sister..)~ Anthony thought as he felt his sister's arms wrapped around him as she broke down in tears. ~Ti amo ... e mi dispiace. (I love you...and I’m sorry.)~_ _Then the only thing he knew was darkness._

* * *

  
 _“_ _So....um... So why did you choose the name Angel Dust when you manifested in Hell?”_ Charlie’s question rang in his mind. 

_“No one...no one’s ever asked me that question before...I guess I chose that name to remind myself of a bad memory.”_ That wasn’t a lie. Most people, Val included, often assumed that he took the name Angel Dust because it was his drug of choice. And they weren’t wrong, but the real truth was that yes it was meant to be a reminder of a bad memory. It was meant to remind him of how he died. 

To this day...he didn’t know how he had overdosed. He hadn’t done anything different than he knew of. But somehow he had overdosed and ended up in a coma that he would never awaken from. The final memory of being of his sister crying over his body moments before he expired. 

Logically he couldn’t say why he continued to use Angel Dust even after knowing that was the same substance that took his life. If someone had asked months ago he would have just shrugged and said he was already in Hell, what did it matter anymore. But now, he didn’t really know why he continued to use Angel Dust as an obsession. Maybe it was because it helped make his day to day life in Hell more bearable. Ever since awakening in Hell alone on the streets of Pentagram City, just days before his first cleansing. Even then he didn’t know if that was the truth of it. Perhaps there really wasn’t an answer to why he continued to use Angel Dust despite knowing that it was his death. Because he felt that it was his true punishment in Hell. 


	19. Chapter 19

Charlie found Angel in the foyer later looking over the pictures of her with her family. It had been a few days since they returned to the hotel. Knowing Vox Angel knew there was very high likely he had the hotel under surveillance and was keeping tabs on their comings and goings. Angel had canceled his secret phone and had Cherri blow it up just to make sure Valentino wasn’t trying to listen in to conversations. Charlie had given Cherri and himself burner phones that already had the numbers to the hotel listed as well as the burner phones that Charlie and Vaggie also possessed. Charlie had also told Husk and Niffty their Hellphones were likely bugged so she was going to give them burners as well. At least until everyone’s Hellphone accounts can be replaced. 

The issue with the burner phones is that they were call-only. There wasn’t any connection to Vixtube, or ability to take photos or anything like that. But for the small group of people dwelling in the Hotel that was fine. They didn’t need to do much else.

The real problem was boredom though. Charlie wasn’t officially keeping anyone sequestered in the hotel. But there was an unconscious feeling of danger in the air or at least a lot more danger than usual. The anticipation that Valentino was out there looking...just watching...waiting for Angel to brave going outside was palpable on everyone’s mind. 

To help alleviate some of the boredom the Hellborn princess had given some renovation tasks to the residents. Cherri at the current was helping with demolition on the ballroom, there was so much about the hotel building that needed to fixed up, refurbished, and restyled to make it welcoming for the people of Hell. Her father’s whimsical ideas with the hotel when it had been under his control were interesting. But it looked like a mishmash of oddities that had no real thought such as the steam train engine on the balcony of the third floor and carousel on the top floor tower. 

The Spider Demon had moved to the picture of her at the Hell School Prom some decades ago. He paused momentarily first regarding it the same way someone would usually look at someone’s family photo. But then he seemed to see something or some context below the surface of the seemingly happy faces trapped forever in time. A sour expression filling his eyes as he seemed to glare reproachfully at the gray-skinned demon holding her against him.

The former porn star moved away from the image, turning at walking away from it. He glanced up at her with his white eye, not particularly surprised to see her. He regarded her sympathetically as though understanding the pain the man in the photo put her through but didn’t want to push her to talk to him about it. When he looked away from her again started up the stairs.

“His name is Seviathon van Eldrich,” Charlie said as she leaned against the wall, one arm wrapped over her chest and clasped her shoulder in self-comfort. “I guess I wasn’t completely honest with you when I said I didn’t understand everything that Valentino has done to you. I don’t understand what things were like for you, but I do understand what it’s like to feel like someone is controlling you...to know they are hurting you and you just want the pain to end.” Angel stopped and sat down on the stairs letting her speak.

“The van Eldrich’s and my family are friends,” Charlie explained. “We are connected to many of the elite Hellborn families, but the van Eldrich’s were some of the closest with us. So I naturally grew up with Sev and his sister Helsa. Helsa and I never got along, but Sev did make me believe that he really did care for and love me. His father Frederick encouraged us as a pair, but I never felt happy with Sev. He would be controlling, and emotionally abusive. I always would fool myself into believing that I did love him that we were meant to be. But every time he’d tell me that no one expected me to do anything once I took the throne. He would handle all the responsibility while all I would need to do was smile and wave during appearances and train my heir when *He* was born. When I tried to assert myself that’s when Sev became angered and told me I have no place handling matters that can only be handled by men. As much as I wanted to believe I loved him and he loved me back, I knew in my heart that wasn’t love. That all the van Eldrich’s saw as me as a stepping stone to get their family line on the throne. So I told him we were over and I never wanted to see him again. He at first thought I was being difficult and laughed, but when he realized I was serious he got angered and started saying I couldn’t break up with him because I was meant to be his. That I was promised to him, I had no say in the matter. Razzle and Dazzle transformed more combative forms and between them and my power as a demon we were able to fend him off, but he did say things were not over between us. Following him, I closed myself off to anyone. Any situations where our families would get together. I would stay in my room or find somewhere else to be so I didn’t have to see him or be around him. There were more than a few nights I would cry myself to sleep because I knew I could not avoid him forever. Vaggie knows of him and that he was toxic towards me. But even being here...being with Vaggie, I fear he will show up one day. You’re the first person I’ve told all of this to.“

“Even when you’re aware of how badly you were treated by someone for any reason,” Angel responded. “I guess when you really step back and actually allow yourself to really process what someone did to ya, on your own...you really do begin to really understand how badly you were treated.”

“It seems that way,” Charlie sighed. “How are you doing by the way? Still having nightmares about...?”

“Yeah,” Angel sighed. “But...what about your folks...you honestly never talked to your parents about what was going on?”

“No,” Charlie sighed. “I mean I’ve tried to explain to them what Sev was doing to me. But mom was always busy and didn’t have time to listen, And Dad...he would just say something like “You don’t take shit from Demons.”or ignore me. When I did introduce Vaggie to my parents they liked her and trusted her with me well enough, but I do have the feeling they believe it’s just a phase and that it’s not going to last.” Charlie moved away from the wall and joined Angel where he sat on the stairs. For a moment the two of them remained in companionable silence. 

“You said you had an older brother?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah,” Angel said. His tone somewhere between bitter and regretful. “Both Pops and my brother are here in Hell. At least I heard enough around town over the years to know it’s them.”

“Do you miss being with them?” Charlie inquired. 

“Not particularly,” Angel sighed. “I mean I do sort of miss, my brother. He had what you would call a tough-love relationship with me when we was growing up. But he’s still my brother...family is everything you know. Word on the street is saying that he goes by Arackniss now. But Pops, I’d be glad to never see him again. When it came to the three of us, my brother was always the favored son. Sis was always his little princess, and I was always...I was always the disappointment.”

“He saw you as a disappointment?” Charlie asked. 

“Yeah.” Angel sighed. “Things were never the same for us when Mom died. Pops was left with three kids he had to raise by himself. Brother was the one who always followed in Pop’s footsteps. He was the one who was going to take over the family business, so he did everything to make Pops proud such as pledging himself to the mob. Taking out guys no questions asked, shaking down people for money, that sort of thing. 

I was never interested in that kinda life. I mean even when I was human I was what people would consider on the girly-side even for a boy. So pops never bothered to teach me how to handle guns or anything like that. The times when Pops would take brother, sis, and me with him to watch a shakedown, a drug deal, interrogation, or even an execution take place. I would never look comfortable being there watching things go down. The times he’d kill people was the worst. Depending on it, I would shield my sister from it. But no matter what, if it was just drowning somebody, shooting them in the back of the head, or whatever I would always find myself feeling sick about it later. Then when we grew older, Pops would take brother and me along to participate. I always made the choice to step outside and smoke while my brother would take part in torturing and killing some sucker who wasn’t able to pay off his debts on time.

Every day it felt no matter what I did, Pop would always remind me that I was the family screw up. If I broke something, he’d cuff me across the face. If I got into a fight because some dipshit thought it would be funny to call me or my sister a dago or whatever Anti-Italian slurs were going around. Depending on the mood he was in he would go after me with his fists or his belt. 

When I learned I was into guys, that was when I knew I would be in deep shit if Pops found out. The Mafia could kill ya just as easily as disown ya if they learned you weren’t straight. Brother kinda knew because I was never into girls like he was. There were already women at church practically throwin’ their daughters at me hoping I would get hitched with one of them. And I would always avoid ‘em or just decline. At that time, coming out of the closet meant putting your life in god's hands, because you could get arrested or worse if people found out. The only real options were to stay single or you can get yourself a beard. Staying single only advertises something was wrong with you, mean it's socially acceptable for a guy to be single if he's explorin'. But if you ain't exploring or you are exploring the sort of people others feel you shouldn't be, then people think you're sick in the head. As for finding a beard, I couldn’t do that to someone. To get married to some girl knowing the vows and promises that I would say about loving her until death did us part were all lies. Placing a woman I honestly would never love in a fake relationship. I'm sorry, I don't mind being friends with gals, but anything beyond that they deserve better.

Of course, Pops did find out I was gay. All it took was somebody to tell him that I was seen leaving a gay bar. And he just flipped out on me telling me how he couldn’t believe I was his kid, that I’d have been better off born as a girl. Painful shit like that on top of fuckin’ clobberin me. If it wasn’t for sis, he probably would have done me in right then and there. He stopped speaking to me after that, he would just pretend I didn’t exist. Brother also stopped associating with me as well, at least during the times Pops was present. If Pops wasn’t home, he’d only tell me I brought this on myself. Both probably hoped I would get the hint and go find someplace else to live on my own. Even sis had suggested that find people I knew I can trust as friends. Ones that would like me for who I was. Then once I have that I just leave. I cut ties with Pops and brother and just run. I found people I felt I could trust as friends, people who liked me despite who was related to. But when they discovered I was gay, they all turned and didn’t want anything to with me. Then just before New Years of that year...I woke up in Hell.”

Hearing a sniveling noise, Angel glanced towards where Charlie was sitting beside him. The Princess of Hell had her knees tucked up to her chest, her face buried against the black fabric of her trousers. It suddenly occurred to Angel the Hotel had become eerily quiet. Glancing around the foyer. He saw Cherri and Vaggie sitting at one of the tables close to the bar. Cherri’s with her face buried in her arms. Her shoulders quaking beneath the tattered black shirt she wore. Vaggie was quietly sitting with her eyes closed tho tears traveled down her gray-skinned cheek. Niffty hugged a throw pillow to her chest, her single eye spilling over with tears. 

Radio static from overhead caused Angel to look towards the second-floor landing. The Radio Demon's eyes were shut, his customary smile still on his face through a closed mouthed. 

“I thought I heard rumors about Henroin having another kid here in Hell.” Husk grumbled from where he was parched at the card table. His customary bottle of cheap booze in his hand. “If you didn’t tell me you had a Dad and Brother in the Mafia, I wouldn’t have believed it, because you don’t look related. Though that dark eye of yours...now that might be a possible relation to that shrimpy, eight-eyed freak Arackniss. You have my condolences being connected to that lot.”


	20. Chapter 20

“Okay, how long were you guys listening?” Angel asked.

“I’d say from the moment the charming demon belle sitting beside you started asking about what family you had at the present,” Alastor said. Charlie looked up, wiping away tears from her eyes. 

“When I asked you in the car about why you chose the name Angel Dust after arriving in Hell,” Charlie said. “You said you called yourself that to remind you of a bad memory.”

Angel sighed. “I took the name Angel Dust to remind me of...of how I died. I don’t know how it happened but the day I passed away, somehow I overdosed and I fell into a coma. So I took the name Angel Dust because that was the shit that took my life.” 

The silence that filled the room was as deafening as the silence that filled his ears the moment he passed away, drowning out his sister’s cries. His brother’s accusatory questions of “You’ve succeeded in tearin’ this family apart, are you fucken’ happy now?” His lower set of arms hugged around himself as he felt tears bloom in his eyes. He wished he could just shrink away to nothing right now...heck if an Exterminator showed up to erase him at that moment he would have welcomed it. One of his main hands covered his eyes trying to keep the tears that threatened to fall at bay. He didn’t want any of them to see him crying in misery at this moment. 

“Oh Angel,” Charlie whimpered, taking hold of the main arm closest to her. Tears streamed down her face as she leaned against him. “Angel...Angel...I’m sorry.”

Niffty dropped the pillow and approached the stairs where the demon spider and the Hellborn princess were sitting. Speeding passed the blond Hellborn so she was on the step directly behind Angel. Wrapping her tiny twig-like arms around his shoulders. 

“You’re no screw-up.” The child-sized cyclops said. A tear drifted down Angel’s cheek but he made no move to brush it away. Cherri and Vaggie also got up and joined the three demons on the stairs. Cherri sat down on Angel’s other side her head resting on Angel’s lower chest.

“Angie…” She sobbed one of her hands taking hold of his shirt. Angel’s lower arms hugged around her, the hand covering his eyes lowered and came to rest on her shoulder. 

“What I don’t get,” Vaggie said as she settled next to Charlie. “Is why you still turned to Angel Dust even though you died from it.”

“I was one of the things getting me through life in Hell,” Angel sighed. “Particularly with the stuff where Val was associated. Ever since I awoke in this world, it’s been a struggle to survive the day-to-day. And yeah I did a number of things I wasn’t proud of just to make sure I could get by. Dust is a drug that gives you a feeling of detachment, so it just made it easier to do things I needed to do to survive when I was stoned out of my fucken’ mind.”

* * *

_He could feel hands and tongues tracing over his body. He didn’t know how many there were, Val had only told him some people who were associated with Vox wanted some entertainment and the TV headed Overlord had recommended him to them. Their only request was that he was blindfolded._

_He could smell the musty scent of Val’s cologne that meant the Overlord was watching the proceedings._

_"I’m ready for him.” One of his clients said._

_“Not just yet,” Another said. “We all paid good money for this slut. Came highly recommended by Vox himself. I’m gonna enjoy every cent I paid for him. Why don’t you prepare him instead?”_

_He was moved so he was in a sitting position against the body of one of his clients. From what he was able to tell there were at least six, so he calculated he would be giving a blow to one, while another took him from behind. While his hands could be used to pleasure the other while they waited for their turn._

_“Open your mouth and suck my fingers slut.” A gruff voice. Angel obediently let two long digits enter his mouth and sucked on them. Moaning appropriately as they pumped in and out._

_“Hey...are yah sure you want to do that.” A demon said. “He’s a spider right, ain’t ya worried he could be poisonous.”_

_“He’s only mildly poisonous, but he’s been trained not to bite his clients.” Angel could hear the synthesized voice of Vox speaking. He was so startled that he nearly did bite down on the fingers he was pleasuring. The two digits were immediately yanked away._

_“The fucker nearly did bite me,” The client said._

_“It was an accident,” Angel protested but knew it was useless to try and excuse the situation. He’d be punished no matter what. “I wasn’t expecting Vox to be here.”_

_“Continue to enjoy him,” Valentino said with a dangerous edge to his voice. “He won’t make any slip-ups again, I can promise that. But I will be sure to have him disciplined after you’re done with him.”_

_There was a moment of brief hesitation before a head dropped down to nuzzle and lick at his neck. A finger traced his ass-hole a few times before it was inserted into the pucker of flesh. Angel groaned in pleasure as a second was added lightly stretching the entrance to his anal cavity. While another hand took hold of his testicles, a thumb firmly pressed against his hardening shaft. Hands took hold of his and guided them over the growing bulges in the client’s trousers._

_“Angel cakes,” Valentino said. “Would you be so kind as to bring out your third pair of arms?” Angel obediently untucked his third set of arms, his hands running over the erect shafts of the people surrounding him until they came in a mass spray.”_

_He let go of the dicks he held in his hands as the unknown client grabbed hold of him. Tossing him forward so his ass was exposed to him._

_“Hey Mac,” One client petulantly said. “How come you get to fuck him first?”_

_“Shut up, Scag!” The one called Mac said. “He gets to suck your dick first, be happy about that.” Angel felt a mouth press against his in a deep kiss, his mouth giving entrance to a long moist tongue._

_“Your mouth tastes sweet, slut,” Scag said, “Now tell me how my dick tastes.” A hard, veined, phallic object was forced into his mouth while another was shoved into his rectal cavity. The only sound other than the rhythmic grunts the three demons were making was laughter and cheers from the others._

_“’m c-c-cl-clo…” Mac said just before he came. Scag also released his load into Angel’s mouth. Before the Spider could breathe however two more demons had taken the places of Mac & Scag, Two more after them, and so on. By the time they were satisfied and done, Angel was exhausted and spent. His fur was matted and sticky with cum and sweat. The typical result of a gang bang shoot on set. Pulling off the blindfold once he heard the voices of Vox’s associates had left. He reached down towards the floor to locate where he had dropped his skirt so he could put it back on. When Val’s hand clamped around his wrist. _

_“We aren’t done Angel cakes,” Val said. “Vox wants to be the one to punish you for nearly biting one of his associates.”_

_“But…” Angel protested “I didn’t mean ta,”_

_“I don’t want excuses, you bitch.” Val said. “Daddy is upset with you, you need discipline.”_

_“Val, no.” Angel protested. “Nononono, please…not Vox. Please, Daddy, I’ll fuck anyone you want. Please...please anyone but Vox.” Valentino only responded by backhanding the spider across the face before pinning him against the mattress._

_“You also have “Playtime” with Velvet on your schedule for tomorrow,” Valentino growled. “Voxy, I imagine you are prepared.”_

_“Indeed,” Vox said as he undid the fly of his trousers. “So tell me...Angel. Where would you like me to put my dick? Your mouth… or your ass?”_

_“Do his ass...” Val said, “I don’t need the punishment to put him completely out of commission for the next week.” The TV Demon smiled viciously as he approached the mattress. Angel scrabbled away as far as the mattress would allow, his breath coming in hurried gasps as he began to hyperventilate in fright. Even the beating he received at the hands of his own father after he had learned his youngest son was seen leaving a gay bar hadn’t scared him this much._

_Grabbing Angel’s hips, Vox pulled the scrawny spider forward. Pulling his long legs apart and hooking them over his shoulders. The TV Demon impaled himself into Angel’s already abused body. Angel cried out as he was entered. Each thrust felt like an electric current was passing through his frame, each one becoming harder...full of need, desire, dominance. When Vox came inside him Angel let out a scream as it felt like several hundred volts of electricity surged through his body. Even after Vox finally removed himself, the porn star continued to shake and twitch as convulsive tremors racked his gaunt frame. His eyes staring blankly into space._

* * *

Cherri lightly stroked Angel’s arm as she listened to him softly cry into his pillow as he slept beside her. His nightmares...the memories of his time with Valentino were continuing to haunt him. She felt so helpless as to what she should do, he was suffering and she didn’t know how to stop it. This hotel was a sanctuary and prison for them both, with Val watching and waiting for Angel to risk stepping foot outside. Cherri didn’t know if the same risks applied to her, but given her association with Angel, it was better to assume that to be the case. 

Spooning her body behind his, Cherri wrapped a protective arm around him to let him know she was there. Angel opened his eyes briefly acknowledging that she rested beside him, clutching her hand in one of his own. It was only when the two of them were alone, when he was vulnerable before her, that he allowed anyone to see the pain that plagued his soul. This time she knew that pain was an extension from his life among the living, choosing to name himself after his death. Knowing that he had spent nearly forty years of pain alone before she had fortuitously encountered him that one cleansing day. If it was someone else, would they have left her to whatever fate awaited her? Would they have hurt her themselves and left the exterminators to finish the job?

_“I guess…It’s because no one was there for me my first time, I managed to luck out and find a broom closet before the killing started.”_

She remembered him telling her about why he saved her. He had appeared in hell just a handful of days before a cleansing. No one would have bothered to warn him or inform him, he had to use his own intuition to understand he needed to find shelter. And the story he told about that one performer who had met an unfortunate end when lockdown at the studio began ten minutes early. It only brought his need to spare her more into focus. She could still remember a bitter sounding tone as he echoed the same snide words Valentino had said to him after the killing had occurred. 

“Do you need comfort?” She inquired. 

Angel rolled over onto his stomach and folded his arms under his chin like he was considering her offer. Sex was both pain and pleasure to him, she didn’t want to push herself into a situation where he would only be hurt as a result. If this was Husk or Alastor offering themselves to him, would he need to take the time to consider or would he be more open to their offer? This was the only thing that made her wish she had been born a man. She loved him and wanted to be with him, but knew he wouldn’t love her back, at least not in the way she wished he would. He loved her in his own way, but he only saw her as a substitute for his sister at best. She told herself it didn't matter because she wanted to be there for him if he needed her. Still, that didn't mean it didn't hurt. 

_“I know you would prefer a man,_ ” She had said the first time she had sensed he needed someone to touch him and love him. To give him comfort by having a body pressed against his. _“I’m sorry I can’t be that. Still, I can be something for you, can’t I?”_

Angel had been hesitant saying he didn’t want to make her into his beard or anything like that. Then he had to explain what a ‘beard’ was since she had never heard that term before. Even the way he spoke about it to Charlie felt like a stab to the heart in some ways. While she understood that he didn’t want to have a fake relationship with a woman as a means of hiding that he was gay. The words “ _I don’t mind being friends with gals, but anything beyond that they deserve better._ ” Did strike her as painful to hear. 

“We don’t have to if you aren’t in the mood,” Cherri said, putting an understanding hand on his shoulder. “I thought it might help, but maybe it’s not a good time.”

Rolling onto his side so he was facing her, he reached out and pulled into his arms. Protectively holding her against him.

“I’m sorry,” She heard him say a pain-filled sob in his voice. “I’m sorry I can’t be the man you want, the one you deserve to have. All I seem to do is hurt everyone around me, even when I don’t mean to.”

“Shhh,” She whispered softly as she wrapped her arms around him, her single eye gazing into his own before pressing her warm mouth against his, “Just let me be someone who can hold you for now.” Resting her head against the soft fluff of his chest, breathing in the scent that was uniquely him with a contented smile. 

* * *

Angel and Cherri weren’t the only ones having trouble sleeping. Charlie was processing everything Angel had told her that afternoon. It just didn’t make sense for Angel to be in Hell, because from the sound of things he hadn’t done anything to warrant being in Hell, to begin with.” 

Being gay or a drug user didn’t necessarily mean you were destined for an eternity in perdition. And even from what Cherri had told her about him, yes he could be violent, but he didn’t go out of his way to attack people nor did he take pleasure in watching the suffering of others. The only moments he did use violence against other people was in self-defense or protecting those he had come to care about. And he didn’t pledge or participate in the Mafia despite having relations to a mob family. So that couldn’t be why he was in Hell. 

Even from what she had seen herself, yes, Angel could be an egotistical narcissistic jerk. But he did have enough self-awareness to know when he had crossed a line that wasn’t meant to be crossed. Still, even Charlie wasn’t sure of how much of the rude and egotistical commentary was intentional or just a defensive tactic to ward off anyone who would try to hurt him. After explaining everything that had been going on outside the hotel, he openly acknowledged and admitted that he would be a danger to the hotel and everyone in it. He had expressed a willingness to leave so he wasn’t dragging everyone into the dangers surrounding him. Even Vaggie had acknowledged she would never have expected him to say that. Following this admission, they were gradually seeing a kinder and much more mature person beginning to emerge. A person who still didn’t see himself worth redeeming, but that was likely due to being verbally, emotionally, and physically abused by members of his own family for numerous years. Followed by seven decades of this abuse and more at the hands of Valentino and others like him.

Even off drugs for the most part Charlie was finally able to see the wounded soul she sensed he possessed from the moment she had met him. And it worried her greatly because much of the wounds on his soul ran deep. Many to the point where they were infected and festering, and even if they could be cleansed they would never fully heal on their own.

” _Having people just seeing you for what you represent or what they see on the surface, but never really seeing the person. But that’s why you have ta be careful with who you’re with, living here. Some people only like ya until they no longer need ya...And others say they care about ya, but really they only want to hurt ya because all you are is nothing to them. You’re just a means to an end._ ”

Hearing him say those words full of a bitterness that he had grown to express due to his years in Hell. Being taught that everyone around you wants to hurt you. Even he probably still had his suspicions that she would only hurt him in the end. 

A tear fell from her eyes at the unfairness of it all. What had Angel done to deserve such punishment? Even if he was in Hell for drug use, the fact he had named himself after his death...the fact he couldn’t face the family members that he had in Hell was proof he was punishing himself enough as it was, without Valentino and whoever else involved. 

“Is something wrong, Hun?” Vaggie asked in concern as she woke up.

“Oh Vaggie,” Charlie said as she wrapped her arms around her lover and cried. “It feels so unfair, what did Angel do to deserve such punishment in Hell. I’ve thought over everything he’s told me when he was alive and from all accounts, he was a good person. Yeah, he wasn’t a saint, but he never actively did anything to warrant being in Hell.”

“We don’t know that,” Vaggie said. “Remember, I’m a sinner as well. And sometimes you can wind up in this world for any number of reasons. It isn’t just the black and white, this person’s bad, this person’s good. Remember he said he had died due to a drug overdose right...what if he overdosed on purpose and just said he didn't know how it happened.”

Charlie paused, at first because she wanted to object and scold her girlfriend. She knew Vaggie and Angel didn’t get along all that well, they had been able to get along better much more recently. But when they initially encountered one another Angel often seemed to enjoy poking fun at Vaggie’s expense. But suddenly a thought filled her mind...what if the overdose was not actually an overdose. What if someone clearly had wanted Angel to die, but wanted it to look like an accidental overdose? It was too soon to tell and there was only one known plausibility that could be responsible. But if her theory was correct, that would mean Angel hadn’t died because of an unfortunate accident...he had been murdered. 


	21. Chapter 21

“Angie, I’m bored.” Cherri Bomb complained during breakfast. “I mean doing demolition on some of the floors and rooms of the hotel is fun, but I miss the clubs. I miss being able to go outside and hang out around town.”

“It ain’t like we’re under house arrest here,” Angel responded as he served himself a portion of strawberry yogurt over a scoop of granola. He could understand and agree with her sentiment of longing for the right to be outside. “I just happened to be on a sociopathic Overlords most wanted list.” 

“It’s been some weeks since we came back from the Princess’s luxury cabin,” Cherri commented. “You honestly think Val would be watching this place all this time?”

“I don’t think...” Angel grumbled. “I know that Vox has this place under surveillance if Val gets fed up with waiting me out, he’ll show up to collect me himself.”

“Were ready for him when he does,” Charlie said with conviction. “We can’t depend on Alastor, but there has to be more than just Vaggie, Cherri, and I myself making sure Valentino doesn’t try anything. Maybe if we had outside help...What about your brother?” Angel coughed as some of the yogurt and granola he had been eating was swallowed wrong. 

“My...brother.” Angel gasped has as his choking fit started to subside. 

“You did say you did miss him, right?” Charlie said brightly. 

“I said I sort of missed him.” Angel corrected. “He and I weren’t exactly on the best terms when I overdosed, the last thing I heard him say when I passed on was him demandin’ to know if I was happy knowin’ I was tearing the family apart. If he was open to meeting up and talkin’ things out...but there might be too many hard feelins for that to happen.”

“Still,” Charlie suggested. “Hard feelings or not, he is still your family. Wouldn’t he at least have some concern about what’s going on? It’s been over seventy-years since you last saw him, maybe they’ve had time to really consider what seeing you again would mean.”

“For the record, just because someone is part of a family,” Cherri pointed out. “It doesn’t mean they actually care for one another, There are some families that just weren’t meant to exist as a family...or have kids. With some...the moment their kids are able to take care of themselves, they leave and don’t look back.” Angel eyed Cherri a moment sensing more of a story with what Cherri had just admitted. 

“Pops and my brother are the only family members I am aware of,” Angel said. “I have a large extended family, outside my folks and siblings, none of which were good people to know in life. And if most of ‘em wound up here, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“So in other words,” Husk grumbled not really looking at Angel over his plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. “Wherever Henroin and Arackniss are, there is a whole nest of spider demons behind ‘em.” 

“Likely,” Angel responded. 

“I think I should meet with Arackniss anyway,” Charlie stated. “I mean...you don’t know if he doesn’t want to see you. He should least know you could use his help in this. After all even in Hell, there are numerous demons who would still object to what Valentino has been doing.”

“Are…” Angel asked somewhat concerned. “You sure you want to do that? He’s not exactly the conversational type. At least not without him waving the business end of a gun at somebody. He’s more of’a shoot first ask questions later kinda person.”

“It’s your death wish,” Husk said. “I’ve seen the guy shaking down people at the casinos I frequented. Both him and Henroin himself actually, they are usually flanked by at least a couple of other spiders that like they meant business. And Niss ain’t afraid to get slaughter happy for whatever reason.”

“I don’t think anything will happen,” Charlie said. “Besides I’ll have Vaggie, and my bodyguards with me. So...it should be okay, right?“

* * *

“It seems the princess and her companion have left the hotel,” Vox stated showing the footage of Charlie and Vaggie casually leaving the building. “That just leaves Alastor and his associates to contend with, I can deal with them, Which would leave your whore and that skank he is partnered with wide open.”

Valentino lit a cigarette and smiled in triumph as he exhaled the red smoke. The smoke trail forming a pair of shackles.

“Hope you’ve had fun with your little game, Angel Cakes.” Valentino said. “Play time’s over,...it’s time to come home...willingly or by force”

* * *

“I seriously don’t know about this, Charlie,” Vaggie said in concern. “I know you want to meet with him because he’s Angel’s brother, but remember he is part of the Mafia. He’s dangerous and from the sound of things he’s everything Angel isn’t.”

“He is also part of Angel’s family,” Charlie said “I know I don’t entirely know what things were like for them growing up. And I don’t know what having a brother or a sister is like since I’ve never had siblings. But if I did have a brother or a sister. I would want to know what was happening to them regardless of how I felt about them”

“Well, this is the place where Arackniss supposedly likes to hang out,” Vaggie said the limo pulled up in front of an alleyway. Readying her Angelic spear she stepped out of the car. Charlie climbed out soon after. “Stay close to me, Hun. We don’t know what to expect.” 

Eight eyes trained themselves on the two girls as they entered the alley and looked around. Two goatish-dragon-like demons stood at the mouth of the alley guarding it in case something happened to the females entering. None of them looked like a threat, and even if they were trying to be threatening they obviously were amateurs who didn’t know what they were facing. Though the moth girl did carry an angelic spear...consicrated steal, Such weapons sold for thousands on the black market, having it in her possession made her at least some sort of threat. The other girl was dressed like she was some sort of big shot...he couldn’t place her...but she seemed familiar somehow. Then he realized who she was...Lucifer’s bimbo daughter. The two girls were looking around for something or someone. What the Princess of Hell needed wasn’t his concern, but maybe...Lucifer might be open to discussing a deal to get her back. 

“Hey, Niss,” A voice from behind him whispered. “Want us to deal with ‘em?”

“Keep ya guns trained on the goats at the alley mouth, but don’t fire unless they prove hostile,” Arackniss answered with a low hiss. “Leave the bitches to me.”

Vaggie kept her spear close to her body, as her single remaining eye roved about the alley looking for any sign of trouble. When she briefly glanced behind her a shadow separated itself from the darkness grabbing her from behind and pressing the flat of a blade against her neck.

“I suggest ya drop the spear, toots.” A cold, masculine sounding voice said as a second pair of arms grabbed hold of her biceps. Another hand had a firm grasp on her long hair and had every intention of pulling her head back to expose her throat. A final hand holding a gun aimed at Charlie. As much as she would give up her afterlife for Charlie, she knew she couldn’t risk the chance he could be bluffing. Obediently she dropped the Angelic spear she held in her hands. The consecrated steal weapon hitting the pavement with a clang. 

“VAGGIE!” Charlie cried out her girlfriend’s name in alarm. Razzle and Dazzle started to charge forward to protect the blond-haired girl. They however stopped short as they heard the click of firearms from the escapes overhead. 

“No wrong moves, Princess.” The spider demon said threateningly. “Or she will need to wear a second eye patch.”

“You’re Arackniss, right?” Charlie asked. “Just let her go, we are only here to talk.”

“I don’t like ta chat,” Arackniss said. 

“All we want is a few minutes of your time.” Charlie pleaded. “Then we’ll be gone and you will never see us again.” The spider demons hard cold eyes glared at her for a moment as though assessing the truth in her words. After several moments he released his hold on Vaggie pushing her so she stumbled forward. Flipping his switchblade he put it away, though he kept his revolver at the ready.

“Lasciaci! (Leave Us!)” He barked in Italian to the enforcers who had their guns trained on Charlie’s bodyguards. The spider demons all stepped away but remained close at hand. 

“Razzle, Dazzle,” Charlie commanded, she needed to prove to him that they weren’t there to be a threat. “Stand by the limo, this won’t take long.” The two goat-dragon demons hesitated not wanting to leave Charlie in danger, but obediently did as she requested. “Are you okay?” She asked Vaggie in concern as the moth girl joined her. Vaggie had made no move to pick up the Angelic spear as a means of proving they were not there to cause trouble.

“I think so,” Vaggie answered, though she did sound rather shaken by the experience.

“You’ve got five minutes,” The Spider responded. 

Now that they were alone Charlie was able to get a good look at the Spider demon. He was short...about half Angel’s height. The way he stood hunched over only made him look smaller in stature. His fur color was deep grayish-black, the fur that counted as his hair was frowsy and unkempt, topped with a black fedora hat. He was dressed in a black suit the tail of which flared out in three points. Underneath the jacket was a white dress shirt. The white bowtie he wore around his neck flared out in a manner that made it look like claws. The trousers he wore were also white. His legs were oddly shaped as his knees were awkwardly bowed over his skinny stick-like appendages. His eyes were the part that bothered her the most. He had two normal-sized eyes, then a trio of smaller eyes formed a line just above, and another trio of eyes just below his main eyes. The sclera of each of them was a reddish-pink color with a single pupil that was nothing but a hard black line.

“We are here to talk about your brother,” Charlie said, trying not to let on how intimidating the demon before her was. 

“Then ya wastin’ my time.” Arackniss hissed as he reached into his coat pocket for his lighter while another one of his six arms found a cigarette in an inner pocket. “I don’t got a brother.” Putting the cigarette in his mouth he flicked the lighter to get it to start up a flame.

“Does the name...Anthony mean anything to you?” Charlie said sensing the lie in the Spider’s words. The scrawny demon spider paused, his two main eyes opening as if that was a name he had not expected to hear. There were several whispers from the spider demons just waiting nearby as they spoke to one another.

“Anthony…Niss’s faggy kid brother...the one that died of an overdose?”

“Ehi, stai zitto, posso sentirti! (Hey, shut up, I can hear ya!)” Arackniss growled up at the eavesdroppers, before successfully lighting his cigarette.

“So he wound up here, huh,” Arackniss said bitterly. “I guess it’s fitting given what he did. If you somehow got mixed up in whatever mess he's involved in, don't expect me to give ya any apologies. He always did have a habit of dragging other people into whatever shit hole he lands himself in.”

“Well, he didn’t exactly involve us,” Charlie said. “He actually offered to leave after he told us what has been happening.”

“Really, why do I find that hard to believe?” Arackniss scoffed. “So what did he do? Owe someone money, pick a fight with the wrong person?”

“He was sold to one of the Overlords,” Vaggie said. "Valentino." Arackniss arched an eyebrow as though the concept caught his interest, but he was still committed to his less than interested disposition. 

“You’ve probably heard the name he goes by now,” Charlie said. “Angel Dust.”

“He fuckin named himself after the shit that killed him?!” Arackniss gave a venomous snarl “And here I thought that he couldn’t be any more stupid. You would’a thought that fricken overdosing would be the ultimate wake up call about his obsessive drug use.”

“He didn't take the name Angel Dust because of an obsession!” Charlie said. She couldn’t help but feel appalled at how Arackniss could be so cold and allow himself to be blinded by his own bias viewed towards his younger brother. “Look, Vaggie and I are here to ask for your help, Valentino is after your brother and will do anything to get him back in his possession. Doesn’t it matter to you that your own brother is in danger?”

“If some Overlord wants to break his legs,” Arackniss scowled before he started to walk away. “It ain’t my problem. Your five minutes is up, sista...I’m done talkin’”

“Let me say this…” Charlie said “Angel...Anthony...he has suffered greatly these past seventy-years since he arrived here in Hell. I don’t know what your relationship was like when the two of you were alive, but he needs you now...Valentino has done everything your father has done to hurt him in the past and worse. Are you really so heartless as to abandon your own brother when he needs *your* help? Isn’t family everything?”

Arackniss paused as though considering Charlie’s words, but only gave her a reproachful glower in response as he continued away. 

“Charlie, let’s just get out of here,” Vaggie said as she retrieved her Angelic spear. “There is nothing to gain in talking with him.” Charlie followed but then paused feeling a surge of anger fill her heart.

“You may think he was a fool for making the choice to not pledge himself to your family.” The blond princess said. The sclera of her eyes turning a blood-red, the iris turning gold with slitted pupils, an anger filled tear falling down one of her rosy cheeks. “But I think he made the wiser decision in not doing so. Anthony deserved so much better...your brother and sister deserved so much better than you...They deserved better than ALL OF YOU!!!” 

“Charlie, come on!” Vaggie said hurriedly pulling the blond princess along. “Let’s just get back to the hotel.” The two girls got in the limo and took off. Surprisingly they were able to take off peacefully, it usually wasn’t a wise decision to throw insults at the mob. 

“How is Angel even related to someone like that?” Vaggie shuddered once they were far enough away. Charlie said nothing as she sat on the cushioned seat. Her knees tucked up to her chest. She just felt cold right now. The burner phone in her pocket went off. Pulling it out she recognized Cherri Bombs’ number. 

“Cherri, what’s up?!” Charlie asked in concern. All she could hear was the sound of the bomber girl’s voice coming in hurried breaths like she was running from something.

“Val…Angie....” Were the only words the blond cyclops was able to say before a gunshot rang out. Cherri screamed out in pain before there was a meaty thud hitting the ground. The sound of Cherri’s burner phone as it clattered along the ground. In the distance, she could hear Angel screaming out Cherri’s name in alarm, followed by the sound of tires screeching away.

“Cherri? Cherri...are you there?” There was no response except a pained groan from the other girl. “Somethings happened at the hotel!” Charlie said. Though she did have a sick feeling as to what she would find. 


	22. Chapter 22

“You think the girls are going to be okay with meeting your brother?” Husk asked. Angel was sitting at the bar enjoying a martini while they waited for Charlie and Vaggie. “I mean...I know what he’s like by reputation. I also know you don’t exactly believe in this whole redemption bullshit. But if it actually is possible for demons to be redeemed, if any of you spiders have a snowball's chance at actually being redeemed it’ll be you, kid.” 

“I’m sure they’d get more than a few unpleasant surprises,” Angel commented. “My Fratello, didn’t get to where he is by being stupid. But he also didn’t get there by playing nice either.”

“Ya seriously grew up among the mob?” Husk inquired

“Yep,” Angel responded. 

“And ya never pledged yourself or participated in anything?” Husk asked eyeing Angel his version of impressed.

“Nope,” Angel replied again. “But just because I didn’t exactly like the idea of tying some joker to an anchor and tossen ‘em into the Hudson. Didn’t mean I wasn’t completely paying attention or completely useless. After all, I’ve been around each of the five families even before they became the five families. I know how each of them did things, and I can tell ya the difference between a hitman and a middleman and which family they belonged to.” The spider demon lapsed into silence, his fingers lightly rotating the stem of his martini glass for a few minutes.

“Se ci fossimo incontrati ... quando ero vivo. Potevamo essere amici? (If we had met ... when I was alive. Would we have been friends?) Angel softly whispered in Italian. Husk’s ears perked up at the whispered words and he eyed the former porn star as he considered the plaintive question. 

“Um, Angie?” Cherri asked as she arrived on the second-floor landing. A worried tone in her voice. Niffty was close behind her, the look on her childish face said it was clear she knew trouble had arrived. “Does Valentino travel in a bright-red 1970’s Cadillac limousine with heart-shaped decals on the roof?”

“Fuck! The bastards here!” Husk growled knowing that they had to be ready for a fight. 

“The TV Demon is with him,” Niffty said. 

“Vox too!” Angel groaned, bringing a hand to his face in frustration as he rushed towards the stairs “Cherri, we’re gonna need ta break out the arsenal.”

“How many guns ya got?” Husk asked. Angel smiled in response. 

“How many ya need?” Angel returned the question. 

* * *

Rushing to his room, Angel pushed his bedframe onto its side revealing several firearms ranging from Thompson Sub-machine guns, semi-automatics, and shotguns to pistols and revolvers strapped under the bed. His closet also revealed a number of weapons hidden behind the various forms of feminine attire he had in his possession.

“I got more guns and explosives as needed,” Cherri said ready for a fight. 

“Niffty,” Husk said. “Take Angel's pig and hide it in the princesses room, then get Alastor. Vox is likely here to distract the rest of us while Val takes ya captive, kid.” Angel had pulled off his shirt long enough to strap on a shoulder holster and loaded it with a pistol before putting the loose-fitting garment back on.

“I ain’t gonna let ‘em take me down easy,” Angel said, handing Cherri a bug-out bag he kept just in case. “There are a few more guns, ammunition, some food, and money in there. It should be enough to help you until Charlie and Vaggie can find ya.”

“Oh no.” Husk said. “Valentino’s after you not her...if he catches or kills her off, the more the better for him but you’re the one he’s really here for. Niffty and I, and maybe Alastor will hold ‘em off. The two of ya need to get outta here. Let the princess know the hotel is under the attack.”

“I can’t just leave…”Angel started to protest.

“You can’t hope ta take on an Overlord on your own,” Husk said. “Let alone two of ‘em. If you do you may as well hand yourself back to that bastard personally. We’re only fighten’ for you because you’ve got people here who think you’re worth it. And trust me, you ain’t the only one who’d like to take the Three-V’s down more than a few pegs. We’ll keep ‘em busy, you two just run for it get somewhere safe.”

The front door downstairs had been barricaded by some of the stuff downstairs to buy them some time. A blast downstairs only indicated that their time had run out. 

“ANGEL CAKES!” Valentino’s voice singsonged that horrible nickname throughout the hotel. “DADDY IS HERE!”

“Go!” Husk barked to the Spider and Cyclops. “Go now, just get outta here!”

“We’ll get help!” Cherri said as she pulled the bug-out bag over one shoulder and started down the hall. Angel looked conflicted but followed close behind his best friend and partner, reaching the second-floor terrace balcony the two of them dove over the railing landing on the ground below. 

“Let’s go!” Angel hissed as the two raced away from the Hotel. They could hear the reports of gunfire behind them as they ran, and as much as it pained them they couldn’t look back. “We should get to the bridge crossing the river. There are some areas under it where we can catch our breath at least.” 

“Sounds great,” Cherri responded. While she was a self-proclaimed powerhouse in Pentagram City. Angel was the brains behind their team. She counted on him for a lot and she wasn’t going to lose him now. Not to the likes of Valentino or anyone. 

Unfortunately, if they had taken the briefest of moments they would have realized that Valentino hadn't even entered the hotel. He had been standing outside waiting for Angel to attempt and escape from the attack. Taking a drag on his cigarette, he breathed out the string of red smoke. The trail of red smoke followed some distance behind them, but it closed in unnoticed by the two demons until it was too late. Angel stopped short he felt the all too familiar slithering feeling of the red smoke coil around his neck and constrict. He dropped to his knees as he felt his air pipes close off. He clawed at the red ribbon of smoke and magic trying to pull it away from his throat but his fingers couldn’t take hold of anything. 

“Angie!” Cherri gasped as she saw what was happening. Glancing up he could see the large smiling figure of Valentino approaching them. He had a pistol drawn and pointed towards her. 

“Thought you could give me the slip didn’t you, Angel Dust?” The Moth Demon said his teeth bared in triumph. “Vox is dealing with Alastor and his Pussy Cat. The games over, Sugar. It’s been over for some time now, you just haven’t seemed to realize that you’ve lost.”

“You son-of-a!” Cherri snarled grabbing a cherry bomb from the bodice of her top. She wanted something bigger, something more destructive but she couldn’t risk hurting Angel in the process. 

“Cherri!” Angel said straining to speak.”Just run!”

“I can’t leave you.” Cherri 

“No one has to get hurt here, Cutie pie.” Val said calmly. “Just come along quiet and peaceful. You got a nice-looking face and you look like you’d be star material. Angel’s fans have been expressing interest in seeing him with a girl despite him loving dick shoved up his scrawny, tight behind. If you behave yourself...I’ll let you be his fuck buddy. Though I’m sure you’ll prove entertaining for me as well.”

Angel reached into his shirt his hand taking hold of the pistol he had armed himself with before their escape. He knew he would be punished severely for this but it was his only option. Despite feeling light-headed and weak due to the smoke constricting around his throat in an ever slowly tightening grip. He rolled and fired at the moth, the smoke around his throat loosening as Valentino lost some of his concentration on it. The spider demon coughed and tried to take in some much-needed breaths of air. 

“Cherri, just go…run for it!” Angel rasped as he readied himself to fight off his tormentor. Val had narrowly avoided his first shot, he knew the moth was not going to allow himself to be taken by surprise again. Cherri tossed the small explosive she had in her hand at Valentino before she took off. The moth roared in anger as the hand-sized bomb went off in his face destroying his trademark heart-shaped shades. It also broke Val’s control over the red smoke dissipated. Angel struggled to his feet, he had to buy Cherri what time he could. He fired again at Valentino, it was a miss but the bullet had left a graze on the side of the moth’s temple. The Pimp Overlord was beyond enraged at this point and fired his own pistol. Angel gasped at the searing pain and dropped to one knee as he was struck. He dropped the pistol he was holding to clutch and put pressure on his wounded shoulder. The injury was a clean shot, but it still bled severely. 

“Oh, Sugar!” Valentino growled dangerously as he firmly grabbed Angel by the neck hauling him off the ground. Angels only functional main arm vainly attempted to pry away the pimps long black-gloved fingers from his throat. His wounded arm hung limp and useless at his side, bleeding profusely. “Daddy is done playing games with you! When we get back to the studio...I will make sure you will suffer dearly. Starting now!” The moth Overlord held up his pistol and aimed it at Cherri’s retreating back. Even from this distance despite his wavering vision, Angel could tell the shot would be fatal. 

“No!” Angel firmly said as his second pair of arms grabbed hold of Valentino’s gun arm trying to turn the shot off course. 

Cherri had her burner phone to her ear as she ran down the street. 

“Cherri, what’s up?!” Charlie answered with concern.

“Val!…Angie!…” Was the only thing Cherri managed before Valentino’s gun went off. Cherri cried out as she was hit from behind and fell to the ground, her phone clattering just feet from grasp.

“CHERRI!” Angel cried out his companion’s name in anguish as he struggled to break free of Valentino’s grasp. 

“I’d worry more about what is planned for you, sweetheart,” Val said teasingly as he squeezed Angel’s throat further. Angel’s struggles gradually slowed before the hand trying to pry away Val’s fingers fell limp as he completely passed out. The Moth bundled the limp spider close to his side like a sack of potatoes as his limo pulled up. He found Vox waiting inside for him, the TV demon looked roughed up and his facial screen was cracked, but he looked satisfied with what he had accomplished. 

“You procured your whore I see,” Vox said, indicating the Spider Demon who hung limply in two of Valentino’s arms. 

“I did,” Val confirmed as he stepped into the limo, dropping the unconscious demon onto the floor before setting into the plush padded chairs. “Have any luck taking out the Radio Demon?”

“I didn’t defeat him, but his associates are down for now,” Vox said. “Long enough for us to take Angel dear and be gone. His companions are bound to come to the studio to look for him...what are you going to about them?” 

“Well,” Val said smirking down at the spider's unconscious body. “I suppose it would only be proper to allow Angel Dust to have the opportunity to say goodbye to his friends. After all, they tried *so hard* to take him away from me only to fail in the end. I can see the broken look on Angel’s face the moment they realize all of their efforts to protect him are in vain.” 

* * *

Arackniss blew out a puff of smoke and paced the alleyway in frustration. The blond girl's words bugged him in ways he couldn’t begin to describe.

 _Valentino is after your brother and will do anything to get him back in his possession. Doesn’t it matter to you that your own brother is in danger?_

Yeah, it did bother him to know his younger brother was in danger. But so what...he couldn’t forgive Anthony for how he died, because he didn’t just lose a brother...he lost his sister that day as well.

He could remember how inconsolable Molly was as he took her to the hospital the night her twin had overdosed. It was like she knew Anthony was already gone. Being twins the two of them did have an uncanny way of understanding and knowing when something was wrong with the other. The moment the doctors called the time of death, it had been as though the light in Molly’s eyes had been snuffed out. She no longer smiled or spoke, part of her had died with Anthony and it pained him that he could do nothing to ease the pain and sorrow she felt. He wanted so much to yell at his brother, to scream “How could you do this to us? How could you do this ta Molly?!...How could...how could ya do this to me?!” 

Pops had been indifferent about everything, regarding his youngest son's death as a nuisance. They had welcomed the condolences of neighbors and people from church. Then a couple of days after Anthony had died, he heard the report of a gunshot from his sister's room. He didn’t need to look, he knew from the moment he heard it that she was gone too. Her death had hit his father hard, almost as hard as the day their mother had passed away.

On the day of Anthony’s funeral, both his younger siblings were buried in the earth the same way arrived...side by side. Molly’s grave on the right side of Anthony’s. 

_Valentino has done everything your father has done to hurt him in the past and worse._

That part of Lucifer's little bitches visits bothered him. Valentino was a hard character, but he gave good business. When Pop’s had secured some territory in the city some decades ago he didn’t say how it was obtained, only that it was taken care of. What did that moth girl mean when she said Anthony had been “Sold” to Valentino? In Hell, sold had numerous connotations. He had seen Imps that would sell their own grandmothers to a butcher for just a single cigarette. Siblings bartering off their own siblings to climb the ladder of social status. Parents selling their own kids...no Pop’s wouldn’t do that.

Still, the fact that the Princess of Hell mentioned Anthony being beaten by Pops...everything their father did and worse. What did that even mean...what could Valentino do to Anthony that was worse than a beating? Unless...nah, Val didn't seem like the type. After all, he always had a couple of bitches practically crawling across his lap. But what if...we'll if Anthony was being fucked by Val, it's not like it was his problem. Then again the times Anthony was hit by pops, it wasn’t always deserved. Like the time he was suspended for attacking an older boy at their Catholic School. The only reason he had done it was because some bastard had grabbed Molly by the neck for no fuckin reason aside from he felt like doing it. Pop’s still laid into Anthony saying how it tarnished their family name and made him look like he didn’t know how to raise his kids right. Still, even Arackniss had to admit that if he had been there if he had seen it happen...he also woulda jumped any bastard who dared to touch his sister like that. 

Then there were times Pop's was just wasted drunk and stressed with trying to appease their grandfather, The Don. Anthony would be called into Pop's office and come out battered and bruised. Molly would immediately start tending to his injuries all the while saying " _It ain't right, you've done nothing to deserve this._ " Then there were the times when he himself got into trouble...the times he feared what Pop’s would do. Anthony would tell Pop’s that he was the one at fault, or do something to get Pop’s to forget all about his oldest son’s failings and turn his wrath on him instead.

Still, that didn’t change matters...Anthony had chosen drugs over his family, he just wasn’t happy unless he was high as a kite and that often led to a lot of problems not just for Anthony, but for Molly and himself. 

Though Arackniss couldn't help but wonder how Anthony had gotten himself involved with the Princess of Hell. There was talk she had started a rehab center in the vain attempt of getting demons to reform enough to enter Heaven. If she honestly believed that, then she was even more of a crazy bitch then he thought. And if Anthony was involved in it...what was he really getting out of it? Even drugged to the moon he never would have believed souls who were sent to Hell were capable of redemption. Heaven or Hell was the end of the road...no fucks given about that. 

Still, the way the Princess had spoken about him... it was like she cared...it was similar to...it was just like Molly whenever she was worried about her twin and what was happening with him. 

_Anthony deserved so much better...your brother and sister deserved so much better than you..._ He had heard the girl yell out. His enforces had stood at the ready wait for him to give the signal to fire at them. But he had waved them off, as irritated as he was that they had come to bother him about whatever problems his brother had gotten into. He had heard those words so long ago, echoed by someone else.

_"Fratello deserves so much better than this, I do too, but I know he deserves so much more than what this family is willing to give him."_


	23. Chapter 23

Charlie gasped in horror as the two of them arrived at the Happy Hotel. The front door was smashed in as though a bomb had gone off. The two girls climbed over each other to get out of the limo 

“Hello!” Charlie asked as she ran into the building. Much of the foyer was damaged or destroyed. The card table was turned over on to its side, there were lines of bullet holes in the wall. The whole place looked like war was fought inside it. “Niffty, Husk, Angel, Alastor, anyone!” A gruff sounding groan came from behind the card table. 

“Next time I see Alastor….” Husk said as he regained consciousness “I’m going to break his fucking teeth in.”

“What happened?! Where is everyone?!” Vaggie asked in concern as she looked around. Her spear at the ready in case danger was still there. 

“Val and Vox stopped by to collect the Spider.” Husk grumbled a trickle of blood dripping down his cheek. “Niffty and I were facing Vox, turns out the TV Demon was playing a recording of Valentino calling out for the kid, and he had the two of us pinned down. I told the spider and his girl mate to run for it, but I heard gunshots someways down the street, so Val may have caught up with ‘em. And Alastor never fucking came down to fight.”

“Are you badly hurt?” Charlie asked. 

“I’ve had better days,” Husk said. “I was knocked out by Vox, you might want to check on Niffty, She seems tiny and sweet, but she’s tougher than she looks. She did get tossed behind the bar though.”

“Okay, Husk,” Charlie said as took charge helping the demon cat to his feet. “I need you to help me find Angel and Cherri if they’re still out there. Cherri did call us to wait and it sounded like she may have been shot. Vaggie please check on Niffty while we’re gone,”

“The spider and his gal took off on foot from the second-floor balcony.” Husk said taking the air so he could have a better vantage point. “Can you follow in a car or your limo? If either of them is injured we’re gonna want to get them back to the Hotel, pronto.” 

“I’ll have my town car brought over to our location when we find them,” Charlie said. As a pair of six white angel’s wings appeared on her back and she took to the air alongside Husk. 

~What is she really…?~ Husk thought to himself as the two of them flew off together scanning the ground below. 

“I take it the meeting with Arackniss didn’t go well?” Husk asked while he and Charlie were together.

“No…” Charlie said a disappointed look crossing his face. “He wasn’t interested in doing anything to help. And it seemed even mentioning Angel by his human name was a painful subject.”

“Like I told ya,” Husk said. “Arackniss is a rough character. Given how the kid died...I would imagine it created a lot of drama in that family. That might be a relationship that needs time if it’s going to heal at all. It’s probably easier for Niss to blame his brother for all the stuff that happened when he died rather than acknowledging any failings that he may have had as a brother. Or maybe like some brothers he is just indifferent to seeing their younger siblings suffering.”

“I don’t believe that,” Charlie said. “I know I don’t believe he doesn’t care that Angel is suffering. I understand he would be upset or angry about how Angel passed away. I guess I had thought...given the time had passed...I guess I didn’t know what I was thinking.”

“There,” Husk said pointing to a figure laying on the pavement. The two demons landed on the ground. Charlie banished her wings and ran where Cherri lay on the ground. Huck glanced down at the puddle of blood at his feet before kneeling down and picking up Angel’s discarded pistol. “Looks like the bastards caught the Spider, how’s the girl?”

“Cherri is alive…” Charlie said. “I think she badly hurt.” Husk waked over and hissed as the heavily bleeding wound.

“Yeah, that’s a bad hit…” The demon cat said as he pulled away the bug-out bag the cyclops was carrying. Noting a sizable bullet hole in the bag as well .”Given the angle the shooter either was sloppy or there was someone deliberately throwing off their aim. “This bag she was carrying absorbed much of the blow so it could have been so worse, but I don’t think she will be available for any battles with Valentino.”

Getting up, Charlie pulled out her burner phone to have Vaggie send a car to pick them up. 

* * *

Everything he knew was pain as consciousness returned. His shoulder ached heavily, his limbs felt leaden. Opening his eyes and looking around him he wished that he could return to the safe bliss of unconsciousness. He was back at the studio and he was in the special room. He wasn’t chained to the wall nor did he have a chain around his ankle, but that will be an eventuality. His two main arms and his lower arms were shackled behind his back. His shirt and holster were gone, likely removed and disposed of while he was unconscious. A familiar and deranged childish laugh coming from the speakers in the room only added to the headache that he was starting to suffer from.

“Daddy Valentino is so very cross with you, Angel-kins,” Velvet said. “Now why would you want to go and hurt Daddy’s feelings?”

“Shouldn’t you be fuckin’ terrorizing a children’s birthday party somewhere?” Angel grumbled not in the mood to put up with Velvet. 

“How dare you say such mean and nasty words to me?!” Velvet gasped. “Daddy, Angel-kins is awake and doesn't want to play nice! Can I punish him, Daddy? Can I, Can I, please?!”

“In good time, Baby Doll,” Valentino said as he entered the room. “Daddy Valentino has some punishments of his own to give dear Angel Dust.” Val’s injuries from the earlier battle to escape had healed, and he had put on another pair of heart-shaped shades. Picking up Angel by hair the moth dug one of his long fingers into the bullet wound in the porn stars’ shoulder, causing the Spider to cry out in pain. 

“Sorry to have to do that to you, Sweetheart,” Valentino said in mock sorrow. “If you only had been a good boy and come home as I had wanted you to, I wouldn’t have had to hurt you. You weren’t exactly giving me much of a choice in the matter. I hope you realize I only hurt you cause you force me to.”

“Oh shut the fuck up, Val!” Angel snarled. “I’ve never forced you to hurt me, or rape me, or do any of the shit you’ve done to me over the years. I am done being your whore! I am done being your plaything! AND I...AM...DONE WITH WORKING FOR YOU!!! I am so sick...and tired of giving myself over to random nobodies just so they can use me and fuck me into the ground. I’ve been doing this shit for over seventy years now, to avoid my family and all the crap associated with ‘em, to survive in this city, and to just earn my own fucking freedom. But you…you can’t let go of your cash cow, can you?! That’s all I am to you...that’s all I’ve ever been to you...I’m just your fuckin’ slave. Your only means of getting and staying rich is my fuckin’ blood, sweat, and tears. And not just me, Summer and Dia too. I can’t speak for them, but I am not going to take any more of your abusive bullshit! You may as well just shoot me get it over with...I...don’t care...I just don’t care anymore...”

There was a tense silence as Valentino murderously glared at the spider bound before him. But then this his angerered scowl lifted and he burst into a loud jovial belly laugh as he dropped Angel painfully to the concrete floor. 

“Angel Cakes,” Valentino said his mouth twisted into a wide smile. “Don’t you want to know who told me where to find you? Who gave you to me?” Angel Dust had a feeling he didn’t want to hear what Valentino was going to tell him.

“It was your father,” Valentino said, his smile was a twisting knife in Angel’s heart. “Your old man was the one who sold you to me. Henroin wanted to purchase some territory I had obtained back when I had first met you. He told me that he had a worthless son who was working at the Ebon Dream and thought you would be of use to me. Looks like that family you’ve been trying to avoid found you.”

“You’re…” Angel said with horror. He knew his father could use tactics that were more than a little underhanded. But to be low enough to sell his own son into prostitution.”You’re lying…”

“Am I?!” Valentino said. “Or you just don’t want to admit to yourself...your own flesh and blood sold you out. Henrion’s been a good useful ally, he and that boy of his help supply my drug dens. So you being a user only made it all too convenient. Speaking of, how has sobriety been treating you? I know you gotta be dying for a sweet hit of your namesake right now.” 

“I don’t want it.” Angel responded flatly. 

“Aww sure you do.” Valentino said “You only got off drugs what a few weeks maybe a month ago. You know as well as I do how you’re so much happier when your stoned off your fuckin’ ass. Just one little hit of Angel Dust, and you’ll be as good as ever.”

“I said I...DON’T...WANT...IT!” Angel growled tears cresting in his eyes. “I’ve ruined my life because I couldn’t deal with the shit I was going through with Pop’s, with the family, and the world around me. I’m not gonna screw up my afterlife any more than I already have!”

“Oh don’t tell me you’re actually starting to believe in all that redemption bullshit,” Valentino commented. “Didn’t you yourself say that if it was so easy to get sinners like you to enter Heaven just by being “good people” then someone would have come up with it years ago?” 

“I don’t believe in this demon redemption business…” Angel stated “And I’m not brainless enough to believe that I am worthy of entering Heaven. But I do believe in Charlie, and she believes it’s possible for demons' souls to have at least some good, even if they wind up in Hell. And so what if it’s all bullshit, I’d feel better knowing I was able to make something out of myself. Unlike you and Pop’s she actually treats me like I matter like I’m fuckin’ worth something as a person, not as a commodity.” 

Valentino glowered in irritation at the spider before he snapped his fingers. Immediately two demons brought in a metal basin full of water. Another came in carrying a couple of bags of ice pouring it into the water. The pimp grabbed Angel by his wounded arm and dragged him towards the bason. 

“We’ll see how resistant you are after I’m done with you.” Val snarled as he tossed him down before the icy cold water. One of the demons who brought the water basin grabbed the pornstar by the fur on the back of his head and forced Angel face-first into the freezing water. 

The sudden cold felt like a shock as the demon spider struggled against the hand holding his head underwater. It was for a few seconds, but it still felt like an eternity before he was pulled up coughing and sputtering. 

“Cold huh?” Valentino smirked as he sat on the couch. “Hurts like a bitch when it hits your lungs. Another thing you can thank your dad for teaching me. I’m sure you saw a lot of fuckers suffering this same fate, but then again it ain’t the first time you’ve experienced this type of interrogation either.”

“Go...fuck yourself!” Angel growled through chattering teeth. Valentino nodded his head at the demon thug before Angel felt his face dunked into the freezing cold water once again. 

* * *

Cherri winced in pain, it felt like every inch of her body hurt. There were voices around her but they all sounded like garbled nonsense. 

“Cherri...Cherri…”

“Please...wake up…”

Opening her single eye the worried faces of Charlie and Vaggie blurred into focus. The Cyclops groaned as she started to sit up. 

“I wouldn’t do that.” Husk’s voice grumbled. ‘You took a bad hit...I don’t want to have to patch you up again.”

“He’s right,” Charlie said as she placed a calm hand on the punky blond's shoulder letting her settle back down on the settee couch. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, if we hadn’t found you when we did, I don’t...I don’t even want to think about how I’d feel if we lost you.” Looking around Cherri could make out Husk standing by the bar packing up a first aid kid. Niffty was scurrying around trying to clean up some of the damage from the battle muttering “Nope” to herself. A bandage was wrapped around her forehead so she also must have gotten hurt at some point. Alastor was sitting at the bar, smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world. But someone was missing, someone who should be with them but wasn’t. 

“Where’s...Angie?” Cherri asked. 

“I’m sorry,” Vaggie said sorrowfully. “But, they got him.”

“We’ll get him back,” Charlie said with firm conviction. “Husk, Vaggie, and I are going to the porn studio and we will get him back.”

“Take me with you!” Cherri said, her large red eye narrowing in dangerous anger. “I owe Valentino some serious payback.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Vaggie said. “It’ll take days for you to fully heal. Angel may not have that long.”

“You’re going to get all the people you can get for this,” Cherri said. “Angel is my friend and no one...NO one hurts...my...friends.”

“You are quite right my one-eye damsel,” Alastor agreed. “Husker and these lovely ladies are not enough to liberate our effeminate fellow.” 

“That’s rich,” Vaggie commented “Considering you couldn’t be bothered to even help prevent his capture. Do you honestly feel enjoyment in knowing Angel is likely getting God knows what done to him right now?” Charlie also glowered angrily at the Radio Demon. 

“You misunderstand my dears,” Alastor said. “Angel’s abduction needed to take place in order for my plan to succeed.”

“What plan?” Charlie asked. “You’ve decided you are actually going to help after all?”

“Oh heavens above, no.” Alastor said. “Dear Angel, can not be simply given his freedom. He must face his tormentor in a contest of will to determine his true desire for liberty.”

Charlie felt rage boil in her as red horns sprouted from her forehead a blazing aura fire bloomed around her as her blood-red eyes focused on the Radio Demon. “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR SELF CENTERED BULLSHIT!!” Her voice reverberating as she felt herself give into her demonic outburst. “ANGEL ISN’T HERE TO BE YOUR ENTERTAINMENT OR ANYONE ELSES!!!!”

“This my dear,” Alastor said. “This is what I meant when I said you must find the power within yourself to protect the souls within your care. While I do hold immense power, you also hold more power in your station than most souls in Hell realize.” Charlie paused before returning her normal form.

“But I don’t want to resort to violence and power,” Charlie retorted. “My father is respected out of fear, I don’t want my future reign over Hell to be based on fear. I want my subjects and followers to like and respect me for who I am, not fear me.”

“Unfortunately,” Alastor stated. “You will find there are souls here in Hell who only understand violence and power and that is how they gain respect. So the only way is to face them on their level.”


	24. Chapter 24

Dulled pink eyes gazed blankly toward the metal basin before their owner was yanked out and thrown to the hard floor. Valentino told the other demons in the room to leave him with the barely conscious demon. For a moment the spider was left staring lifelessly up at the concrete ceiling above him. Then a shudder passed through his frame before he violently coughed. Rolling shakily to his knees Angel hacked up a stream of blood-tinged water. 

“So...you think we’re done here?” Valentino smiled at the Spider. “I’m not done punishing you, not by a long shot. But are you going to behave yourself now?”

“Go fuck ...a floor lamp.” Angel still shivered with cold and weakness. “I ain’t ...gonna be ...your obedient little whore... again, not now...not ever.” Valentino sneered in irritation at Angel’s conviction.

“It seems I have to do a whole lot more with you, Angel dear,” Valentino remarked as he picked Angel up by the chin.

“Like...what.” Angel gasped in pain. “Rape me again? Haven’t... we been there...done that enough times!”

“I won’t rape you,” Valintino growled his voice reverberating as he took on aspects of his full demon form. “I’ll FUCKING DESTROY YOU!!!”

* * *

~Angie~ Cherri thought as she gazed out at the lights of Pentagram City from the second-floor balcony. She held Fat Nuggets close to her chest. ~Just hang on baby, we’re coming for you. No matter what it takes,~

“I hope he’s okay,” Charlie said worriedly as the blond princess joined her. 

“You don’t know Angie like I do.” Cherri said a sad smile crossing her face. “He’d survived a little over forty-years on his own before he met me. I may not have the experience he does, but I know you don’t exist in this world as long as he has by making foolish choices.”

“He’s certainly come a long way in the past couple of months,” Charlie said in agreement. “But the hardest battle will be everything he experienced with Valentino. But that’s what makes you important. You’ve been there for him in this and he’ll still need you.”

“It’s too bad that his brother wasn’t open to helping.” Cherri sighed. “We could have used it.”

“Seeing Arackniss was a mistake.” Charlie sighed. “I hate to say it but almost feels like dying was one of the best things that happened to Angel, given how awful that family really is. I mean, I have a bad father too...and a mother who is always busy with her singing career or social events. Still, siblings are something different. They’re the people who, who grow up alongside you, live with you, understand you in ways that other people around you don’t. I don’t see how anyone could be so cold about knowing a member of their own family was in danger.”

“Unfortunately,” Cherri sighed. “You don’t choose who your family members are. My own parents were awful, but my younger brother...he was a monster. When I was old enough I ran away from home; never looked back. I have no cares to see anyone in my family again and I would hate it if they came back into my existence after everything they did to me. If the relationship between Angie and his older brother heals at all, you know who is really the one losing out in choosing not to do so. But if their brotherhood is severed for good, then that is what it is. Still, if you ask me, Arackniss is missing out on knowing a great guy.”

“Yes,” Charlie smiled softly. “Are you alright, how is your wound?”

“It’s healing,” Cherri smiled. “I’m a lot tougher than I look. I’m fortunate that the shot was so sloppy, I though I think that may have been Angie possibly interfering with the shot. Not Valentino having bad aim, if it was an inch to the left and a somewhat higher, the bullet easily could have erased me, I think I should have recovered by morning.”

“Can Angel,” Charlie started to ask.

“He’s survived on his own for around forty years before he even met me,” Cherri said. “So I wouldn’t worry too much about Angie, he’s strong...stronger than most people think he is. Valentino won’t kill him...not immediately he’s too egotistical for that. Still, every moment we stay here is another moment Angie suffers under his hands.”

* * *

Angel let out a grunt of pain as he was sent flying backward into the wall before falling forward until he face down on the ground. For a few seconds he lay still, but then he groaned and started to shakily get to his knees. His face and body were already covered in bruises, welts, and scratches. Blood trickled out of one nostril, his lip busted open. The flesh around his right eye was darkening and beginning. Even the bullet wound to his shoulder was bleeding anew. 

“SURRENDER TO ME!!!” The moth demon viciously snarled. He was in his full demon form which made him appear far larger than he was before. white and gray wings spread. The thugs that had been administering water torture earlier, but Valentino was taking some sport in his victim’s torment by allowing him to have some ability to defend himself. 

“Face it, Val,” Angel growled, his pink eyes practically glowing with defiance. There had been a day the very idea of Val’s demon form would have literally had him pissing himself in fear. But now he could see Val for what he really was, true he was dangerous. True he could have him beaten within an inch of being erased. He could have Angel shot to double-hell or whatever happens. Still, he knew the truth Val as a bully and a monster who couldn’t be happy unless he was dominating or hurting those below his station. “You no longer control me!”

“Do it!” Valentino said. One of the thugs held Angel down while the other hooked a chain to the shackles around his main arms. Moving aside the thug turned a crank causing the chain to slowly pull the spider off the ground. Angel gasped pain as his own body weight allowed his arms to be pulled back painfully. The bullet wound on his shoulder throbbed painfully as the damaged muscle was pulled and stretched. The chain continued to pull him upward until he was in a kneeling position. His back ramrod straight to keep his arms from being ripped out of their sockets. The way the nun’s at school would tell him was the proper way to kneel before the altar when he and his twin were of age to receive their first communion.

The incessant click of the ratchet as it dragged him forcing Angel to kneel in a position he knew his body would grow tired of. But if he relaxed he could severely hurt himself. The bullet wound in his shoulder hadn’t been tended to since he got it, who knows how many hours ago, and it certainly had been aggravated which would only add to any infection that was starting to set in. And God only knew how unsanitary the room actually was. Angel almost wanted to smile ruefully as he visualized little Niffty racing around commenting to herself about how filthy the room was. Fortunately, while the bullet hadn’t done any permanent damage to something like a bone or an organ. The injury still needed to be flushed out in case any fragments still resided within his flesh. 

Valentino returned to his standard form before grabbing Angel by the chin and forcibly kissed him. Jabbing his tongue down the spider’s throat. He jumped back as Angel bit down on the long slimy muscle. Blood dripped out from Valentino’s teeth as his red eyes seethed in anger. Angel spit out the blood that had filled his mouth when he bit down. The red fluid was bitter and acrid, the residual flavor of Valentino’s blood made Angel gag like he was about to vomit. 

“I forgot you could do that,” Valentino said, his words starting to become unintelligible as his tongue thickened and swelled in his mouth.

“I have antivenom all prepared if you need it, Daddy,” Venom said. “Naughty, naughty Angel-kins. You deserve a spanking for what you did to Daddy Valentino.”

“Depends on who delivers it!” Angel crassly remarked. “And last I checked, you weren’t my type, you evil little bitch! 

“Daddy!” Velvet half whined half squealed in delight at the thought of seeing the Spider suffer “Did you hear the mean and horrible thing Angel-kins called me!? I want to see him screaming for that!” For a moment Val seemed to consider what should be done to punish the Spider for daring to bite his master, and for his cheek.

“Leave him like that,” Vox said. “His body can’t stay in that position forever. It will quickly tire…” Valentino smiled through closed teeth, before he snapped his fingers signaling the thugs that they were leaving, before he himself woozily left the room. 

* * *

Morning arrived slowly, Cherri had spent a sleepless night. Fat Nuggets softly snuffled next to her. Wanting to make sure Angel’s pet was cared for, she had brought the small pig to her room for the night. 

“You miss him don’t you,” The female Cyclops said sitting up and holding the demon animal in her arms. “I miss him too. I promise you, we’ll get him back.”

Putting the pig down and she got up and dressed in her tattered black leggings and a long-sleeve cherry red top. She knew what she would be facing and she wanted to wear the hardest outfit she had in her arsenal. Overlord or not, she wanted Valentino to know they all meant business for what he had done to Angel Dust for years. It was time for the piper to be paid. Carrying out the pig she placed him in Angel’s room, before heading downstairs. Voices coming from downstairs told her that Charlie and the others had been up for some time. 

In the foyer, Charlie was standing at the ready in her red jacket and black trousers. Razzle and Dazzle were standing close behind her. Vaggie was standing close to her girlfriend, her Angelic spear at the ready.

Husk also stood armed with a shotgun, while the child-sized cyclops Niffty also stood with a look of determination on her face.

“Val ain’t the sort of person you reason with.” Husk said. “Like Al, he’s a deal maker, he makes deals, contracts, ultimatums. He’s not gonna let the Spider go easily, we’d be lucky if he doesn’t take him out with a holy bullet so no one has him.”

“Still we need to have to try,” Charlie said. “I know Alastor feels I should use my full demon form and answer Val on his level, but I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to solve things with force if there is another solution.”

“I’m with you hun,” Vaggie said. “I’ll support whatever you decide.”

“As will I,” Cherri said as she joined the group. “Valentino has been a bully for far too long. It’s time sinners like us stand up to him and show him he can’t treat souls like shit.”

“This won’t be easy,” Charlie said. “But we need to do this for Angel’s sake. Were his friends, and I have come to think of everyone here...including Alastor... as my family. One of the things Angel had said to me in the past days is family is everything. That is something I agree with and stand by. Everyone who is a part of this hotel now and in the future is to be welcomed and treated as family. And because of that, I can’t stand by and know that a member of that family is being harmed in any form by anyone. I will need you all in this mission.”

“Count me in,” Husk smirked. “The kid at least doesn’t drive me up the wall like Alastor does. And there ain’t many that would dare defy an Overlord.”

“Right,” Charlie said. “Is everyone ready?”

“With you all the way,” Cherri said playfully rolling an unlit explosive along her arms and shoulders with a fierce smile on her face.

“You’re still injured,” Husk pointed out. 

“I’m healed enough.” Cherri insisted. “If it was me in danger, Angie wouldn’t rest until I was safe again.”

“Just be careful,” Charlie said. “I don’t want to lose any of you in this conflict.” 

* * *

_He had been feeling like crap all morning. At first, it had just been an annoying headache, but now it almost felt like a migraine. His head throbbed painfully like he was having a migraine while his stomach threatened to erupt and toss the digested remains of the toast he managed to choke down._

_It wasn’t the storm that worried him though, that was an inconvenience to be sure. The problem he was most worried about was Val. He had shown up at the studio despite feeling like shit because his boss never took illness as an excuse. Particularly when there was a film shoot. However, it quickly became clear that there was no way they would be able to do the shoot with Angel looking like he was going to pass out at any given moment._

_No matter how many times Val insisted that they just give the pornstar some aspirin, let him have a nap in the green room for the next twenty minutes and he should be fine. It was clear that they would just have to use Summer and/or Dia for the shoot instead. Just for the sake of the film shoot being done at all._

_Even when he was told to go back to his apartment to rest up, he could tell from the tone in Val’s voice that he was irritated. And there likely would be Hell to pay when he was able to get back to the studio._

_He would deal with that when he got back to the studio after the storm passed. Right now he wanted nothing more than to lay flat on his mattress and sleep._

_"Angie..?” He heard Cherri ask in concern from behind him. The cyclops had a hot caramel latte. An umbrella hung from a cord around her wrist._

_“Hi Cherri,” Angel said, while rubbing his temple._

_"You look like shit,” Cherri commented. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”_

_“No…” Angel sighed as he continued to his SRO apartment. “It’s more like I’m unda the weatha.”_

_“You coming down with a cold or some shit?” Cherri asked as she followed not really understanding._

_“Something like that,” Angel said as they arrived at the pornstar's apartment. “Though it might be betta to say that I’m allergic to storms.”_

_“A storm?” Cherri asked._

_“There’s one I’ve been feeling all day,” Angel stated as the two of them entered the building. “And from the headache, it’s gonna hit in the next hour or so.”_

_“Do you need me to run and get something?” Cherri offered. “There’s a cafe nearby, I can get some soup or…”_

_“Bad idea…” Angel groaned as the two took the elevator up to Angel’s floor. “It might be betta for me to not think of food right now.”_

_“Give me your keys,” Cherri offered once the elevator dinged it’s arrival on the sixth floor. “I’ll get the door.” Angel didn’t argue as he tossed the cyclops the key to his apartment. The blond ran up head immediately unlocking the door leaving Angel to make his way at his own pace. The spider was almost ready to crawl into the room on his hands and knees he felt so gross._

_Putting down her latte on Angel’s vanity table, Cherri tried to fix up Angel’s bedclothes so he would be comfortable. The spider immediately and gratefully collapsed onto the mattress that was spread along the floor. After covering him up with the blankets Cherri stepped into the closet-sized toilet and opened the medicine cabinet. Pulling down the bottle of aspirin the blond-haired girl shook two tabs into her open palm before returning the bottle to its shelf. Taking a plastic cup from the side of the sink she filled it with water._

_“Here,” Cherri said, giving the aspirin to Angel. “I doubt you trusted anything Val thought about giving you.”_

_“Thanks,” Angel said as struggled to a sitting position. Swallowing the aspirin he chased the bitter-tasting tablets with the cup of water. “Ya don’t need to stay, I’m gonna be down until the storm passes.”_

_“You kidding… scoot over,” Cherri said as she set aside the cup before cuddling onto the mattress beside Angel. “You need someone to be here with you right now.”_

_“Cherri…” Angel started to say in protest._

_“Let me be there for you,” Cherri said, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “I want to make sure my best pal is alright.” Not in the mood to argue Angel settled down against the pillows closing his eyes. Cherri wrapped a caring arm around his shoulders as the first cracks of lightning filled the sky._

_Angel curled up against her as the storm began to rage outside. The blond cyclops ran a hand up and down his back as a means of comfort._

_“I’m right here…” Cherri whispered softly. “I’m right here, and I always will be.”_


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving everyone, enjoy the chapter.

“Morning, Angel Cakes,” Val said with his leering grin. He stood a few feet away from Angel. “I hope you were able to sleep well.”

Bending down he could see for himself the spider didn’t sleep at all. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. He had made some attempts at relaxing his position, but the way the chain connected to his shackles only forced the way his arms were shackled behind him to painfully allow his own body weight to pull his arms from his sockets. The only opfrom kneeling in that tiring rigid position was to stand up. 

Angel answered Valentino’s inquiry spitting at Valentino. A dark hand angrily brushed away the glob of saliva that landed on the moths cheek. Before delivering a backhanded smack to the spider’s face. 

“You…” Valentino seethed. Angel continued to glare up at his tormentor, his eyes still burned with defiance. “Why...why won’t you break?”

“You can’t break what’s already been broken,” Angel hissed a tone that Valentino had never heard in the demon spider’s voice before. He was used to the pornstar begging, he enjoyed hearing fear, he expected pain. But this...this was like tempered steel. Even when Angel made attempts at standing up, to him it didn’t have this level of confidence behind it. 

“Any thing ya do to me ain’t chicken shit.” Angel continued. “You can beat me all ya like, I’ve faced it at hands of various people including the hands my own flesh and blood when I was alive. And then by other demons before ya even arrived in Hell. You can fuck me into the dirt until I’m practically six feet under, others have beaten ya to it. Lock me in isolation for what a month...a year...a decade. I’ve lived alone for over thirty nearly forty fucking years on the streets of this city. I’ve had days when I have starved…and there have been days I have found myself forced to kill and eat rats just for the sake of having something. I’ve put myself in isolation because I let this world...this city get to me. Always having to look over my shoulder for the next threat, never fully trusting anyone in case they wanted to jerk me around and screw me over like guys before you have countless times. Yeah...there was a time I caved to my fears of what you’d do to me. You made me believe you were stronger and could kill me whenever I fucked up, and I fell for the bullshit you fed me. But now I see ya for what you really are...your nothing...you got to where you are on the backs of people like me...Velvet...and your so-called boyfriend Vox. I’ve gotten to where I am today by having to scrape, crawl, beg, and let myself be used by people like you just so I can get by. You wouldn’t even  last one-week living the existence I have. So don’t go telling me some BS sob story about how ya gave me a better life and how I’d still be sucking off people for chump change. At least back then...I knew I had a way out...I knew I could still earn my freedom. And while Pop’s did clobber me with his fists or whip me with his belt out of habit and tell me I wasn’t worth shit...he never made it routine. And he never hurt other people who didn’t deserve it as a means of punishing me. The times you’d lock me in my dressing room so you could beat and rape the shit out of Summer and Dia for somethin’ I did to displease you. That don’t make ya look big Val, that makes you into a fuckin’ coward. The only reason you keep me around is because you need me. I’m still useful to you; without me you know you will lose money. And your afraid… you’re scared that if ya let me go, the other whores in your stable will get it in their heads about leavin’ too. And then maybe someone else, and someone after them. Eventually, even your loverboy will also turn his back on you.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Sweetheart,” Val said maintaining control. “I keep you around because I like you. You do good work for me.”

“As if…” Angel snarled. “All I am is a good fuck to you. You like the fact I can bring the crowds in. Every time I’ve tried to prove myself as something more, it was always “Stay at the studio. Even when I have secured venues and deals for you, you thanked me for it through rape and torture. That ain’t something you do to someone you like or see value in.”

“It isn’t your place to secure deals…” Val growled dangerously. 

“Right, because my place is being your obedient little whore.” Angel hissed, vehemently. “Follow at your side like I’m your dog, still loyally do what you want even when you hit me or kick me.”

Valentino angrily grabbed Angel by the chin holding him upwards. Angel gasped as he felt his bodyweight being suspended by the delicate bones in his neck. 

“You filthy little…” the moth demon seethed. “I hold your existence in my hands. I have erased whores like you for only one-tenth of the crap I’ve let you pull. You aren’t so special that I can’t end you here and now.” 

“Go ahead,” Angel stated. “I know they’re watching...they might not think much of me. They might even feel this is how it should end. But you are only proving that you are the monster that I’m saying you are. Just because my existence ends doesn’t mean there won’t be another whore who turns against you.” 

Val reached into his coat for his pistol but stopped as his Hellphone gave an agonized scream. Angel gave out a cry of pain as he was dropped to the hard floor. The chain pulling his main arms backward felt like they nearly ripped his arms out of their sockets. 

“Yes,” The moth answered as if this interruption had better be important. “I’m in the middle of something right now…”

“I know you’re busy sir...Mr. Valentino.” The guard at the front desk said over the phone. “It’s just...I have a Princess Charlie Magne here to see you...regarding one of your performers. Angel Dust. I told her she needs to make an appointment but she is insisting on seeing you.”

A vile grin spread across the moth pimps face before his pupilless eyes turned towards Angel Dust. Now he will see for himself what sort of companions Angel actually had at this Hotel. Vox had told him they would come, and Val was prepared for them. Was that why the Spider was being so defiant? He was clinging to that one thread of hope that his housemates would find him? The only reason he fucked the Spider into submission yet was that he hadn’t been wanting to be caught with his pants down if they did show up. He looked forward to seeing that defiant light in Angel’s eyes extinguish once his companions realized that he was a lost cause. 

“Sure, I’ll always make room on my schedule for a member of Hell's...Royal family.” Valentino said. Drawing out the word ‘royal’ to gauge a ration. Angel looked surprised like he hadn’t expected the Princess of Hell to be here of all places or even believed they would come to his aid. Ah-ha, so he hadn’t been expecting them to show up, or at least not before it was too late. “I’ll see her momentarily.”

“I was wondering if any of them would show up for you..” Valentino smiled. “It seems these companions of yours think you’re worth something after all. I wonder why that is.”

_ “I know you feel you’re a sinner, Angel. But when I see you I don’t see a sinful soul. I see...I see a good-hearted being who is lost and doesn’t know where to turn.”  _ Charlie's words filled his mind. She had said those words to them weeks ago, but it felt longer than that. 

_ “ _ I wish I could tell ya,” Angel sighed. 

“Well whatever caught the interest of the Princess of Hell,” Val said. “Let’s put it to the test shall we? But first...I need to have a little insurance.” Stepping out of the room, he came back momentarily with a white collar with red heart shapes studs. Fixing it around Angel’s neck like a fashionable choker. “I had this designed as a means of training more problematic whores to obey their masters. It worked just fine on Summer and Dia while you were gone...now let’s see if it will be a success with you.”

Playfully showing Angel a handheld remote with two buttons...the first saying “obey” the second saying “release”. Pressing the “obey” button the studs on the collar glowed before painfully shocking the spider. The voltage felt like the times when he felt himself being fucked by Vox, the feeling of electricity coursing through his body with every thrust the TV demon pumped into his body. Angel slumped forward the chain around his main arms successfully ripping more of the damaged muscle from the gunshot wound in his shoulder.

“So it works,” Val commented, pleased with the craftsmanship. “I need the Princess to see you looking pathetic. She needs to see you for what you are...you aren’t just some lost soul she can adopt off the street and make into her pet project. You’re a slut...a whore...and it’s time she learned who you belong to and you to finally learn your place.“

“She isn’t…” Angel seethed as he felt the shock of the stun collar start to lessen. “She isn’t someone to be underestimated.”

“You mean that bitch fight she had with Killjoy,” Val said with a laugh. “I’d say she’d have been better off preparing for her supposedly future role as Queen of Hell by spreading her legs and getting started on creating her successor. Hellborn don’t exactly mean eternal existence.”

“I’d say she’s off to a good start,” Angel smirked. “Unlike Luci and you Overlords, she doesn’t lead through oppression. She actually does give two shits about the lowly sinners who exist in Hell.”

“Aww,” Val mockingly commented as he pulled out a syringe with a clear fluid in it. “Just listen to yourself, Angie Cakes. I just don’t think sobriety suits you, but Daddy Val has something to fix that right up. You know what this...it’s Angel Dust in liquid form. I bet you’re just dying for a fix right now.”

“No...no” Angel protested trying to get away 

Angel hissed in pain as Valentino grabbed hold of his wounded shoulder. Squeezing the wounded limb hard enough to expose a vain, the moth inserted the needle and depressed the plunger. 

“You’ll be feeling that in a minute or so,” Valentino said. “Now...I’m gonna see Miss Magne, be back in a few.”

* * *

“Here we are...the studio,” Vaggie said as the limo pulled up in front of the round building. The moth girl looked up distastefully at the image of the female succubus against the side of the building. “Angel seriously worked here.”

“He is here…” Charlie said. “I can feel it.”

“Know that once we go in there…” Husk said. “We need to be ready for anything.”

“I know I am,” Cherri said with conviction. 

“Alright,” Charlie smiled at her companions. “We owe this to Angel, no matter what happens our only goal is to get him out.” 

“I’ll stay with the limo.” Niffty stated. “I’ll have things ready for any injuries.” 

“Thank you,” Charlie said. Before she led the group into the building. 

“Can I help you,” The security guard at the front desk asked? 

“We are here to see Valentino,” Charlie stated. “It’s about Angel Dust, one of his employees.”

“Mr. Valentino is busy,” the guard said picking up a clipboard. “Do you have an appointment with him?”

“No,” Charlie said. “But I am Princess Charlie Magne,”

“I can’t let you through without an appointment.” The guard replied disinterestedly. “Schedule an appointment with Val and he might find time to see you.”

“He will want to see me,” Charlie insisted. “As a denizen of Hell he is required to adhere to members of Hell’s Royal Family.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, miss.” The guard said. “Usually Val doesn’t drop his schedule for anyone short of Lucifer himself.”

“If Valentino refuses to see me,” Charlie said, smirking. “I’ll be sure to have my father secure a visit….unless you would like me to return with Alastor.” The security guard blanched at he the sound of the radio demon's name. 

“Right…right away Miss. Magne,” The guard said picking up the phone and calling Val’s phone number. 

“Yes...I’m in the middle of something right now!” Val answered over the phone. 

“I know you’re busy sir...Mr. Valentino.” The security guard said urgently .“It’s just...I have a Princess Charlie Magne here to see you...regarding one of your performers. Angel Dust. I told her she needs to make an appointment, but she is insisting on seeing you.”

“Sure, I’ll always make room on my schedule for a member of Hell's...Royal family.” Valentino replied. “I’ll see her momentarily.”

“Okay...please go to the meeting room at the end of the hall.” The guard answered. “Mr. Valentino will meet with you soon.”

“Thank you,” Charlie replied as she entered the building followed closely by Vaggie. Razzle and Dazzle, Cherri and Husk. 

The porn studio meeting room was a small room with a couple of white plush couches and armchairs. Inlay in one of the walls was a glass fish tank containing several delicate-looking angelfish. A small fountain burble in the corner. The walls of the room had framed posters of some of Angel’s porn flicks such as "Fellatios Of Teacher", "Over Wines In The Lagoon", "Tarots Of Initiation", and "Painted Addictions On The Table".

Cherri settled in one of the chairs lightly chasing the small triangular fish with her finger. Quietly reminiscing of the times she and Angel would visit the aquarium. She liked to explore and see all the various fish, but he could find the nearest bench and just watch the angelfish or the blobfish for hours.

Husk settled in one of the chairs, he had glanced over the porn magazines on the table but quickly sat down and tried to find the floor more of interest. Vaggie sat on the couch, closing her eyes and focused on the sound of the water feature. The goat boys sat with her, though they kept their attention focused on Charlie. The blond princess alone stood in the room, her eyes roving over each of the posters. Angel’s face spread in a wide grin like he was enjoying himself. But she knew it was all false. Just like he had recognized the fake smile she had plastered on her face in her Hell School prom photo. He could see she wasn’t happy with Seviathon and that there was no actual feeling in the relationship. Even the sympathetic way he had regarded her told her he understood what it was like to feel like you were in something toxic and just wanted to escape. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” A voice said from the door. A chill ran down Charlie’s spine at the voice. While the tone tried to present itself as friendly and welcoming, she could sense there was nothing friendly or good from the speaker. Vaggie nearly shrieked at the sight of the Moth demon towering over them. Cherri and Husk immediately assumed defensive postures beside Charlie. 

Charlie slowly turned toward the blue moth demon. The larger demon smiled down at her as if gloating that he had already won and he was ready to prove it. She could feel hatred fill her heart at the sight of the demon before her. 

“Thank you for taking the time to see us.” Charlie responded trying to maintain a diplomatic appearance. He wasn’t a threat to them...yet.

“Where’s Angie?!” Cherri demanded. 

“Ah...Cherri Bomb wasn’t it…” Val said regarding the female cyclops. “I see you have recovered from your injuries. Then again I didn’t use consecrated bullets on you or Angel Dust...after all, it would be a waste of precious materials.”

“Speaking of Angel Dust,” Charlie said, continuing to keep the conversation diplomatic. “He is at the current time a patron of my hotel.”

“Oh yes…your passion project.” Valentino said, trying to sound sympathetic, but the way he spoke sounded derisive “So sorry about the confusion Princess. You see...while Angel Dust did agree to participate in this hotel of yours. In all honesty that was not his decision to make. He isn’t supposed to do anything without my directive.”

“Regardless, I don’t appreciate souls that reside under my care being abducted,” Charlie stated. 

“You seem to have misunderstood me, princess,” Valentino replied. Spitting out the title of 'princess' like it is was vile. “I didn’t abduct anything...I was merely collecting a piece of misplaced property.” Horns sprouted from Charlie’s forehead at that statement. But she quickly banished them. 

“I would like to see Angel,” Charlie said.

“As you wish,” Valentino said. “Right now he’s being disciplined for some of his more rebellious behaviors as of late. Follow me to my office.” Obediently the group followed the moth to the elevator bank. 

There was no speaking as they continued all gathered inside the car and rode to the top floor. Upon exiting they were lead down the hall to what appeared to be a normal executive office pressing a button on the wall panel by the door. Two female demons stood at the ready. A red-skinned succubus dressed in what appeared to be a slutty version of normal office attire. The other a tan furred cat demon dressed in a sleeveless white top and mini skirt that left very little to the imagination. 

“Dia is you would be so kind,” Val said 

“Yes Daddy,” Dia obediently said. Walking to a wall panel she pressed a button that caused part of the wall to move aside revealing a steel paneled door. Val walked to the door and pressed another button. The steel panel slid away revealing a darkened room. 

“He’s right in here,” Val said with a leering grin. The group of companions all looked at one another knowing in their hearts what was beyond that door was not something they wanted to see. After a moment’s hesitation, Charlie approached the open room.

It was the smell that hit her first. The older stale scents of sweat and sex, which was overpowered by the sour sent of unwashed bodies, bodily wastes, infection, and blood. At first, when she looked in did darkened room she didn’t see anything. But as her eyes adjusted to the gloom they went wide with horror as they fell on the crumpled form of Angel Dust. A tear falling down her face as her heart broke. 


	26. Chapter 26

“ANGEL!” Charlie cried out the pornstar's name as she rushed forward, Angel kneeling on the floor before her. His body slumped forward as if defeated. His main arms wrenched in a painfully awkward manner behind him, the blond princess couldn’t even begin to imagine how painful such an unnatural body position must be. 

Even in the gloom, she could make out various darkening bruises, cuts, and contusions all-along the spider’s gaunt frame. His eyes were closed, but the lids shivered letting her know he was not asleep. She wanted to lightly place a hand on his shoulder to let them know they were there, but she didn’t want to accidentally hurt him further. Cherri, Vaggie, and Husk gathered with her. 

“This looks bad,” Vaggie said looking over the shot wound in Angel’s shoulder. “I think it’s infected.”

“The way he’s hanging won’t make it better.” Husk said agreement.”If it heals at all it’ll heal badly.”

Cherri seethed silently as she reached for an explosive, but Charlie’s hand grabbing her wrist stopping her. The blond princess shook her head as a wordless indication that wouldn’t be a wise decision. 

“Angel Cake’s,” Valentino said, casually pulling the collar remote from his jacket pocket. “Don’t you know it’s rude to sleep while guests are here?” Pressing the ‘obey’ button Angel writhed in his shackles as the collar electrocuted him. Husk and Vaggie stepped away to avoid getting zapped as well.

“Stop it!” Charlie commanded getting to her feet. Val immediately shut off the shock collar, but still maintained a smug expression. Everyone else had entered the room. “Why...how can you hurt another soul like this?!” 

“Nothing too personal,” Valentino smiled as he moved his thumb away from the obey button like he knew he held all the winning cards. “I was just giving him a little reeducation on where his place is. Just a reminder of who is the owner and who is the slut.” 

“Overdoing it from the looks of it.” Husk commented, Angel struggled back into a kneeling position to help reduce the strain on his arms. Cherri gasped when Angel opened his eyes, there was a glazed look in them a look she had seen during the times she had seen him high. 

“You drugged him?!” The cyclops demanded as she got to her feet. 

“I reintroduced him to his namesake…” Valentino said with a confident smile. “He’s so much more agreeable when he’s drugged off ass. Don’t know what he was thinking about going sober, it had him speaking all sorts of nonsense about being done being my whore. I personally own his bitch ass so it’s not like he has any say in what I do to him.”

Charlie’s eyes went blood red for a moment, but she calmed herself. It wouldn’t help Angel or her project if she let herself give in to her emotion. Regardless of what Alastor said, she was determined to do this diplomatically. 

“Everyone,” Charlie said in a firm tone. Vaggie immediately stood behind the blond princess with Razzle and Dazzle indicating what everyone else was supposed to do. Cherri and Husk hesitated but also took a place behind the group of companions.

“Tell me, princess,” Valentino said proudly stepping towards the chained spider. Angel winced as he felt Valentino take hold of his chin to force his head upwards. “Out of all the demons in Hell, does this one in particular catch your interest. What makes him so special that you feel he deserves redemption?”

“It’s because…” Charlie started to say. But what could she honestly answer that Valentino would believe. She thought times the interactions with Angel. 

_“We want you to be our first test subject!”_

_“Why me?”_

_“Because you seem like, someone who regrets his life choices and would be interested in self-reflection and bettering himself.”_

_“It was better you heard it from me…Then learnin’ about it later when Val comes lookin’”_

_“But...nobody deserves to go through any of that..even in Hell, you certainly don’t deserve any of that...you never did.”_

_“How can you be so sure,”_

_“I know you feel you’re a sinner, Angel, but when I see you I don’t see a sinful soul. I see...I see a good-hearted being who is lost and doesn’t know where to turn.”_

_“Is that why you felt I was suitable for redemption? You never really answered the question I asked you in the car when we first met, Why me?”_

_“Oh…I knew from the moment I first saw you that there was something good in you, and I had a feeling you would listen...._ _Wait, look, I know you’ve been hurt by people in the past and it’s hard for you to open yourself to others. I understand that. And I know I'm not someone you trust as a friend like Cherri, and I’m aware I haven’t gotten to know you as well as she does. But I’d like to be someone you can learn to trust as a friend, I’ve certainly come to think of you as one.”_

_“You didn’t see what I saw…When Vox was here, there was one moment I noticed Angel had entered the foyer. He recognized and knew who Vox was but something about that Overlord being here...it frightened him. It wasn’t an act, Vaggie, that wasn’t something you can just pretend to be…”_

_“I’m sorry, that was probably a personal question. If you prefer not to answer, I understand...you don’t have to.”_

_“It’s not that, No one...no one’s ever asked me that question before?”_

_“Not even, Cherri?”_

_“I guess I chose that name to remind myself of a bad memory,”_

_“Wow...that sounds so...so…”_

_“Monotonous,”_

_“Lonely...that’s so lonely,”_

_“I suppose you can call it that. Having people just seeing you for what you represent or what they see on the surface, but never really seeing the person. But that’s why you have ta be careful with who you’re with, living here. Some people only like ya until they no longer need ya...And others say they care about ya, but really they only want to hurt ya because all you are is nothing to them. You’re just a means to an end.”_

_“But that’s what makes your friendship with Cherri so special and so rare, the fact you look out for one another and worry about each other. How you mean something to her because she is willing to fight to get you out of a serious situation. And how you’d prevent someone from hurting her as a means of hurting you, even though it means you are still being hurt in doing so. There aren’t many demons who would do that, even for a loved one.”_

_I’d been broken years ago...and I sometimes had given in to the ‘just let ‘em do what they want’ way of thinkin, but I just refused to let it all destroy me.”_

_“Hey! Who said I’m not a good pick? You broads don’t know me, I could be whatever I wanna be!”_

Angel could be quite sharp around the edges. He could be crass, rude, and inappropriate. And there were times when he could be violent, narcissistic, selfish, prone to nihilism, and mean. But he also could be caring, well-meaning, intelligent, empathetic, and understanding. 

He could mask his own insecurities through an excessive personality. He could acknowledge his own sorrows and regrets the times she heard him speak of his family. Accepting that ties between him and certain family members were permanently severed, but was still open to the possibility of reconciliation if that was what they desired. He chose to find the strength to reject one of his vices rather than give in to his desire. And showing a reluctant willingness to make the effort at change. 

“Because,” Charlie said. “Angel is many things… a number of which are bad. But he also has many more that are good and still others that are only just coming to the surface. Deep down he does have a good heart and does care about people around him when given the chance.”

“Angel…a good person.” Valentino snorted derisively before giving in to a belly laugh. “That has got to be the most batshit craziest thing I’ve ever heard. The good person thing is all an act, my dear. He just wants you to think he’s a good person so he doesn’t lose what he can gain. This is Hell baby, no one's a good person here. If he was so good...wouldn’t he end up in the other place.”

“You don’t know him as I have,” Charlie said.

“He’s been staying at your hotel for what…” Valentino pointed out. “Two months now. I can’t say that is long enough to really get to know someone, I’ve had Angel Cakes here under my employment for decades. I know he manipulates people to get what he wants, he seeks out those who would give him the greatest advantage. He uses others for his gain. You’ve never seen him on stage. He loves the attention, the applause, the fans. He can’t get enough of it.”

“That’s what you see,” Charlie said. “And there may be truth in that. But what I know about Angel...as a person. I never forced him to reveal anything he’s told me about himself. I have never threatened or promised harm if he didn't do something I’ve asked or required. And even the times I have found myself disappointed by him...I never hurt him as a form of punishment.”

“Come on now,” Valentino remarked with an amused laugh. “Do you honestly believe he gives a damn about this whole project you’re doing? He’s even admitted this whole demon redemption concept is bullshit and that all he is getting out of it is just the free room.”

“I know that,” Charlie stated. Valentino for once was taken aback as he stopped laughing. His red pupilless eyes watching the blond-haired girl with a stunned expression. “Using the hotel as a place to rehabilitate and redeem sinners has been my dream. It was my hope that my legacy upon this world was to bring the Cleansings to an end. Many have been quick to dismiss the mission of the Happy Hotel as a waste of time because in life the choices you make determine where a soul ends up. While Angel has also stated the idea was not something he believes in, he didn’t dismiss it. Rather he has pointed out where I should put the focus of the hotel until redemption is something that is proven possible.”

“And what was that?” Valentino said with a sneer. 

“Bettering the lives of demon souls,” Angel said with a smirk. He was glad to see the self-satisfied grin vanish from Valentino’s face at Charlie’s words. “The ones who aren’t completely evil motherfuckers like you are.” 

“Ooo burn,” Cherri cheered. Even Husk gave an amused smirk, though it quickly faded as he noticed a dangerously angered look cross Valentino’s face. 

“Angel Cakes,” Val seethed before backhanding Angel across his face. “Did I give you permission to talk?!” 

“Angie…” Cherri gasped her friend’s name in surprise. She knew that Val would hit Angel and worse. But this was the first time she witnessed it happening. 

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Vaggie demanded brandishing her spear. “Cabrón (bastard)...Only a coward strikes out on someone who can’t fight back.”

“Watch your mouth, bitch,” Valentino growled, holding up the remote and roughly grabbed Angel by the hair to emphasize the point. “If any of you piss me off...he suffers.”

“Vaggie...stand down,” Charlie said. Her eyes taking on an angry blood red cast as she felt her anger boiling inside her. “Same with you Cherri.”

“Now then...as intriguing as your little explanation is,” Valentino responded regaining his composure. “It doesn’t explain why this whore…” Valentino shook the chained spider by the hair for emphasis. “In particular, is the one you are determined to save, why not Summer or Dia in my office?”

“I want to save them too,” Charlie said, the blood-red cast in her eyes fading as she calmed herself. “If they wish to be. But Angel...he is someone I’ve come to trust and respect through his time being at the hotel. He has told me what you have done to him, that you bought him from a casino where he had been forced to pay off a debt. That you have done things like hurt him, starved him, and even...even things I rather not think about in this very room. I know he wasn’t lying or exaggerating...because what could he gain by making that up. And this…this only proves his story to be true. He didn’t have to tell me or Vaggie any of it...he could have remained silent until you were practically at our doorstep. He could have chosen to give up on the hotel and leave the moment he knew you were aware of the hotel and his existence there.”

“Did he tell you that he is part of the Mafia?” Valentino commented. 

“He was raised by a mafia family…” Husk said. “That doesn't exactly mean he was part of the Mafia itself.” Valentino was about to correct the cat demon but then paused as his mind ran over what Henroin had told him. 

_“I have a second son that exists here in Hell. Even though he’s my kid...he’s a worthless drug addict, and don’t want nothen’ to do with the family business. Which makes him useless to me…”_

_“_ For an Overlord…” Husk snidely commented. “You don’t seem to know much. You may have bought and paid for him, but you don’t own him completely. I don’t know about the gals out there. But I’ve sold my soul to the Radio Demon by making a deal with him and I’m under his servitude until he frees me from my contract or I’m erased. I’m willing to bet legs here, was smart enough to not to make any deals with you even if he was desperate.”

Val’s face hardened in irritation that striking a deal with the spider never occurred to him. He had been overconfident in just owning him...if he had made a deal this whole farce would not be where it was. 

“Furthermore…” Charlie said. “I have met his family and I don’t blame him for wanting to cut ties with them.” That admission unfortunately renewed Valentino’s confidence. 

“He may have cut ties to them,” Valentino said. “But they haven't exactly cut ties with him. It was Henroin himself who told me where to find him…” Charlie was taken aback by this. Cherri and Vaggie’s expressions hardened in anger. Even Husk gritted his teeth. The blonde princess’s eyes turned towards Angel to gauge if he knew about this. Angel’s eyes were closed and grit his teeth indicating he had some knowledge or had suspected this. 

“So, tell me Sugar,” Val snidely smirked as he twisted the emotional knife he stabbed the spider with earlier. “How does it feel to be sold out by your own kin. I seem to recall you accusing me of lying when I told you that your old man practially sold you to me. I mean, I knew Henroin could be a bastard...but to barter away his own child...I guess this world really does take all kinds. How sad it must be to know your own flesh and blood finds you so worthless you make more use being sold as a sex slave then as anything else.”

 _When it came to the three of us, my brother was always the favored son. Sis was always his little princess, and I was always...I was always the disappointment._ Charlie shook her head in dismay as she watched pain cross Angel’s face. There may not have been any love lost between him and the members of his family. But being told that it was your father who knowingly sold him to the likes of Valentino. While she had her own issues with her own father, she knew he never would do something so cold-hearted. Then what about Arackness...did he know? From the way, he reacted when she mentioned his younger brother by name he hadn’t even seemed to have been aware that Angel even was in Hell. While she could sense Arackness was cold and rigid...far more so than Angel was. She didn’t sense any actual evil from him. Anger...yes...dislike...maybe, but deep down there were more deep-seated emotions such as regret and sorrow. Something in her heart told her that regardless of how he may feel about his brother, he would never consciously hurt him like this. If Henroin could sell one son into slavery..would he be heartless enough to keep his more loyal son in the dark about his younger brother's existence or even what was being done to him?

“And here I thought that ‘La Famiglia’ was everything to you Italians.” Valentino continued to dig at Angel completely ignoring the people in the room. The hand holding the remote was clasped behind his back, his thumb lightly caressing the button that would activate the shock collar around Angel’s neck. “The only family you have is the one you have with me...the one you have at this studio. Give up on this foolishness...why bother fighting what you are...what I’ve made you into.”

“OH, THAT IS IT!!!” Cherri seethed as she lost it. Summoning a grenade into her hands. She didn’t care what happened, she couldn’t stand by and watch this any longer. “YOU MESS WITH ANGIE...YOU MESS WITH ME!!!” Taking hold of the pin she began to pull.

“NO CHERRI...STOP!!!”


	27. Chapter 27

Angel noticed Cherri pull a grenade and her hand going to the pin. His first instinct to tell her to throw it...take out Valentino. As long as he existed he would endlessly be a source of torment to him...to them...to the hotel. 

But his mind jogs to the moment of his capture. Valentino held his gun out to fire at Cherri as she raced ahead trying to tell Charlie of everything that was occurring. While Val did collect angelic weapons in order to melt them down into bullets. The black market still sold angelic weapons at exorbitant prices due to how much of a commodity they were. Val was only able to obtain these weapons a few at a time and the consecrated steel of each angelic weapon only was able to create a small number of bullets. Because of this Val was choosy about who he personally chose to erase. 

While Angel doubted Val would waste a holy bullet on Cherri, he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t do it just as a means of spitting and hurting him. Grabbing hold of Val’s arm he had to throw off the moth's aim, make the shot miss. Val had tried to shake him off but the gun went off. Angel felt his breath seize in his chest when Cherri let out a cry of pain as she was hit and collapsed. His next instinct was to rush to her, to check her injury, but Val prevented that. The fact Angel would still remember her after he regained consciousness gave him some comfort that she was alive. But now...he could feel dread. 

Cherri’s explosives could cause damage, but they weren’t lethal. She just wanted to rule over her small section of the city and remind every demon who tries to claim it from her that she was not something trifled with. Val was only triggering the group of demons to make mistakes. He wanted them to either give up and leave him to his fate or to attack him so he can claim their deaths were in self-defense and rub Angel’s face in the fact their deaths were on his conscience. If the punky Cyclops threw that explosive…Val would be provoked to retaliate. 

“NO...CHERRI STOP!!!” He shouted. Cherri immediately let go of the pin surprised that he would stop her.

“But…” She started to say, but he shook his head in response. 

“Don’t do it,” Angel said in protest. “Not for me...I ain’t worth it.” In his heart he could still hear his own sisters crying for him, begging her not to leave her alone. His older brother demanded to know if he was happy knowing he was tearing their family apart as the end came for him. Cherri was like a sister to him...he loved and cared for her as much as he had for Molly back in the day. Seeing her shot...that was like a pain in his heart. He didn’t know if she was alive or dead or what and Val wouldn’t let him close enough to see for himself. He didn’t want to see her hurt like that again for any reason. 

“I never want to hear you say those words again, Angel,” Charlie said. Her voice was scolding. Rushing forward she knelt down wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Making sure to prop his lanky frame against hers as a means to reducing strain her body weight was adding to his shoulders. “We’re all here for you because you are worth it, let me prove that to you.” 

“Aww, well ain’t that cute.” Valentino condescendingly remarked, a smile crossing his face. “Tell me how ya going to prove he’s worth the trouble he’s putting you through. He’s a whore, after all. Speaking of…” Charlie gasped as she felt herself grabbed and pushed down. The action while sudden was surprising but the hands held on to her making sure she wasn’t unintentionally hurt. She looked up in time to see Angel’s third pair of arms quickly slither back to where they were hidden just above his waist. Seconds before that damned shock collar was activated.

“This is for the outburst,” Val said pausing allowing Angel to recover somewhat. “Do you believe I’d waste one of my precious holy bullets on any of your pathetic friends? 

“It...depends on how they piss you off,” Angel responded. His darker eye glowered up at Valentino while the spots under his eyes started to glow. 

“I should erase one of your companions out of principle, just for that.” Valentino responded with an annoyed snarl “Care to pick one...or should I choose?” Standing up Charlie faced Valentino. 

“No!” She said putting herself between Valentino and the rest of her companions. “I won’t let you hurt any of them.”

“Okay, then my dear,” Valentino said, putting his pistol back into his coat for the time being. “I believe our meeting is over, it’s time you and your companions took your leave.”

“Not without, Angel,” Charlie said firmly. 

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Valentino smiled confidently. “You're gonna pull out that contract you had Angie Cakes sign to be part of your hotel. By working for me he was knowingly violating that contract rendering it null and void regardless of whether he was aware he free the moment he signed it. The fact is he has done nothing but lie to you, take advantage of you, and use you for his own gain. Your mercy trip has failed, Princess. Besides, it seems you have another candidate to try and do these redemption experiments.”

“He may have been less than honest with me,” Charlie said. “But he’s had his reasons to do so. It’s people like you who have made him believe that he has to remain on guard and that learning to trust others will only result in you being hurt. I don’t...I don’t blame him for that. Regardless I do see him as someone I trust and care about as a member of my family.”

“He already has a family,” Valentino stated. “Me and the other people at this studio. It’s not like whores need a real family anyway.”

“Don’t call him that!” Charlie said. “He’s not a whore...he is my family...my brother...my friend.”

“Oh ain’t that sweet,” Valentino remarked with amusement. “Still...you really believe he has the possibility of being redeemed? Ha, he is as much of an angel as I am.”

“Perhaps,” Charlie said. “But unlike you, he doesn’t take pleasure in hurting others and watching them suffer...he never did. I have never encountered his father, but I have met his older brother. And I can say for a fact...he’s not either of them...he is a better man than either of them will ever be and no one would say otherwise. As for family...this place...the people here...you, this isn’t a family. Family is the companionship he has with Cherri and his pet pig. A true family is made up of those who care about you, who listen to you and want the best for you. Everyone here...everyone the hotel, we are his family. And by threatening to harm any of us, anyone he cares about as a means of hurting him. That doesn’t make you look big, that only makes you into a monster, a bully, and a coward.”

“Oh come on princess,” Valentino said teasingly. “I’ve given him a better life then his father could, I’ve made him into something...I care about his well being and only want what’s best for my dear sweet Angel Cakes. He just needs to learn how to be more grateful for everything I’ve done for him.”

“I don’t know,” Husk remarked stepping close to Valentino. “If his father used him as his personal punching bag, I don’t see how being used as a punching bag with assault and torture added is an improvement.” Valentino brought out his cigarettes and pulled one out preparing to light it as if in thought. 

“Put those away,” Cherri demanded. “I saw you use your magic on Angie when you captured him.”

“Oh did you,” Valentino smirked as he lit up and took a drag. “Sorry, Sugar... my business, my choice, you’re gonna put up with it. That’s also something I’ve noticed with you Angie-baby, you haven’t been using those cigs I recommended.”

“You mean the ones that smell like something died in a dumpster fire.” Husk commented as he rejoined Vaggie and Cherri. “I actually don’t miss ‘em, and he’s better off without’em.”

“Ain’t exactly had the time to get a new pack,” Angel remarked. “Seeing as Vox has been having me under surveillance. How else would you have known that Charlie and Vaggie stepped out?”

“And you know that how exactly?” Vox asked over the speaker.

“Please,” Angel gave a wolfish smirk. “You’ ain’t exactly been one to be subtle, Vox. Remember, I may have been working for Val, but I was still associated with the rest of your triumvirate by proxy. You don’t exactly hang out in a room with three Overlords and not pick up on shit. Though having the girls turn their phones off and Cherri blowing them up shoulda been the first clue to knowin’ I was aware you was keep’n tabs. Let me guess, Val tell ya ta be on the lookout for me when you dropped by the hotel to look for Alastor.”

“You and your rivelry with the Radio Demon…” Valentino snarled. “I told you not to get distracted.”

“I didn’t see Angel, I swear,” Vox responded.

“But, I did!” Charlie stated. “And I could tell immediately that if you caught sight of him it would be trouble. Though I already knew you didn’t have anything good planned when you said you could give me better clientele than...oh how did you say it...oh yes “Valentino’s *pet* spider” were the exact words you used. I couldn’t risk what would happen so I made sure that you were distracted so Angel could safely return to his room unnoticed. And knowing what I do now, I never would have allowed you into the hotel.” Valentino blew out a string of red smoke which slithered down to the floor like a snake traveling it’s way to where Angel was bound.

“Now then...as a denizen of Hell,” Charlie said. “You must obey any orders given by members of the royal family. So as Princess of Hell and heir to the throne...I order you turn Angel Dust over to my custody.”

“Ooo,” Valentino mockingly winced. “I would love to do that, sweetheart...but there is the problem with your father.”

“My...dad?” Charlie asked, not understanding.

“Yeah...Lucifer himself is a prominent VIP client at my studio,” Valentino explained with a vile grin. Turning his pupilless gaze over to where Angel still hung. “You love being with your “Apple-Daddy” don’t ya, Sugar?”

“Angie...what is he talking about?” Cherri asked as confused realization began to dawn. Charlie's eyes also turned to Angel, her expression unreadable. Angel hung his head in shame.

“Ah so...he never told you…” Val said mockingly. “Angel Cakes here is a personal favorite of old Luci. He requests Angel especially almost everytime he visits. As much as I would *Love* to follow your orders and release him. If Lucifer himself shows up and wants Angel to be his entertainment...well, I’ll be ordered to get him back. So you can see where the conundrum with that is.”

“ _I’ve encountered him...A few times, I can’t say I’ve honestly met him._ ” She remembered what Angel had said when they were at the cabin. The way his fingers clutched at his arm anxiously. It was like he had wanted to explain more, but couldn’t...or didn’t know how to tell her.

Still the fact he was able to look at her every day for the past two months knowing who she was related to. That he had to walk past images of Lucifer standing with his wife and daughter as he left for the studio every day. She didn’t want to believe Valentino’s words, it just didn’t sound like the father she knew. If Angel had seen her father at a party or some event, she would have accepted that...but this… What would compel her father to be at the porn studio? And Angel...no...he wasn’t responsible...he was just doing his job. She hadn’t been helping him, she had only been unknowingly hurting him more.

“ _Charlie Magne, I know for a fact you ain’t like your father, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise._ ” Those words he had said when he had pulled her to him, caringly holding her against him as he brushed away her tears. He...he didn’t equate her with her father...he didn’t hold her father and whatever experiences he may have had against her. 

“I will deal with dad,” Charlie said. “If you won’t release him on my orders...then I will buy his freedom.”

“Charlie…” Vaggie said in protest. “Think of the hotel. We won’t be able to cover the costs of those who join the hotel in the future.”

“I know Vaggie,” Charlie admitted. “But...if I can save one...if I can prove demons can be redeemed it will be worth it.”

“And what if this redemption thing doesn’t happen as you have hoped, my dear?” Valentino remarked. “Heaven may not even be the happy paradise you believe it to be. Considering they send the exterminators to commit genocide on all demons they happen to catch.”

“Like that one performer, you left to die outside your studio?” Charlie said here eyes taking a red-cast.

“I'm sorry,” Val commented. “I’m afraid I don’t have a clue as to what you were talking about.”

“She means that time the lockdown began ten minutes early.” Angel hissed. “One of your employees was locked out and was killed by the exterminators because of it. When you saw what was left of ‘em you just told me that you bet I was glad I wasn’t the one stuck out there.” Val hummed to himself as in thought. 

“Nope…” Val responded. “I don’t remember that happening. In any case, I don’t sell off my property...but I have been getting people asking for a new star in the studio. Seeing as Angel Cakes has been wanting to go into early retirement, and both Summer and Dia are not bringing the money that Angel usually brings in. How about a little exchange...I allow you to borrow Angel Dust until...whenever you come to accept this hotel project is not going to happen as you hoped. In the meantime...I can groom another person to take his place. Such as his girlfriend there...Strawberry Blast wasn’t it?”

“It’s Cherri Bomb,” Cherri responded angrily. “And I’d rather face a whole host of exterminators than take part in anything dealing with you.”

“I can’t do that,” Charlie responded, feeling herself becoming angrier by the moment. She refused to give in to her anger and emotion, as a future ruler of Hell she had to set an example of the person she wanted her subjects to follow. “I refuse to barter away one soul in exchange for another. All the denizens of Hell are my people, from the Hellborns to the souls of sinners who have come to reside here. I know this world isn’t a pleasant place to be, but I want to make it a better place for them all. And I want to prove myself as someone who is worth following. Both Angel and Cherri are both important people to me, and I have come to appreciate the companionship they have for one another. It is a rare friendship that most demon souls ever hope to achieve and I would feel awful knowing that I am severing it for my own dreams.”

“But if this whole redemption thing is real,” Valentino pointed out. “You will still be severing their companionship because one would go to Heaven while the other stays behind.”

“You don’t know that...we could still face redemption together,” Cherri said with conviction. “If not, I’ll tell God or Michael, or whoever I need to talk to in order to send me back to Hell. Because even Heaven without Angie sounds like Hell to me.”

“Well,” Val said dismissively. “Angel Cakes is actually quite happy working for me. He is quite happy indeed...go ahead dear tell them how happy you are.” Before anyone could react, the red tendril of smoke that had been lying in wait split apart and gushed itself up Angel’s nostrils. Angel’s head fell forward as began to fall under the smoke’s effects. Charlie watched in horror as she witnessed what the red smoke could do. Angel was struggling to resist, but Val could control it..force it to bend Angel to his will.

“The red smoke,” Husk said. 

“Fight it, Angie,” Cherri yelled out. “You’re so much stronger than he thinks you are!”

“Nice try,” Valentino said. “But I control the smoke and thanks to Velvet, I can force him to do and say whatever I want. It compels him to do what I want him to do. If I want him to suck my dick, he does it. He’d jump off the top of the clock tower if I wanted him to.”

“Angel,” Vaggie said. “Don’t lose yourself to him. Think of everything you’ve accomplished so far at the hotel, if you give in to his power all that is erased. Think of how Charlie would feel.”

“No, don’t think of me,” Charlie said encouragingly. “Think of Cherri, all the times you endured Valentinio’s punishments, you were doing for her...you were doing it to protect her...your adopted sister. All the times she was there for you, the times she cared for you. She loves you and would do anything to free you. And not just her...think of your true sister...your twin. She was always there for you too, especially when you needed her most. She is in Heaven waiting for you to join her, focus on those you fight for...and your brother as well. Every time he rebuked you, every time he echoed the words of your father, every time you felt he turned his back on you. Do you want to prove he was right, or do you want to show him you are better than what your father was raising you to be?”

Angel stopped struggling against the smoke and sat up. Valentino smirked in triumph as Angel started to speak.

“I…” Angel responded, his voice sounding distant and drugged. But then a smile crossed his face as he opened his eyes. “I fucking hate this place!”


End file.
